A Master's Journey
by GokuCaught'EmAll
Summary: When the world is at peace, the criminal organizations of the world team up to conquer the Pokemon world. Meanwhile, Ash Ketchum must train under apocalyptic circumstances to learn aura and the art of intense battling, in order to save the world and be the very best that no one ever was. It's a race against time to stop the incoming threat and save the world before evil takes over.
1. Chapter 1: Trouble is Brewing

Chapter 1: Trouble is brewing

 **So, here's my first story. This story will have a major focus on Ash and his journey to be the very best, and won't include heavy shipping themes unless you guys want it. There may be some Pearlshipping or Amourshipping at some points, but again, only if you guys want it. The story as a whole is likely going to be a long one, and bear with me for these first few chapters. This chapter in particular is going to be very short compared to a lot of future ones, and serves mainly as an end to start a beginning. You'll find out exactly what I mean soon enough, and for now all I can say is to read on and enjoy! It'll get much better, trust me. If you have any questions about the story and the direction you may want it to go, just ask me! Don't be as shy as Serena's Eevee! And with that Kalos reference, I'll end my rambling. Just read on!**

Giovanni sat in his chair, once again stewing in his anger over Jessie and James's progress report— or lack, thereof. They'd turned up empty-handed for the millionth time, and he couldn't stand it anymore.

Giovanni appreciated more than anything the fact that Jessie and James had stopped hunting the boy and his Pikachu after his Kalos adventure had ended, but this news had come years ago. About five, as he recalled, and he also recalled that in that time frame Jessie and James had only captured two pokemon. Some boy's Raticate and a Meowth they had found left astray. To their surprise, it knew Payday.

However, even knowing that their boss's need for money couldn't be satisfied, they still couldn't capture any new pokemon. But, the most interesting thing was the boy they had stopped chasing.

According to Jessie and James, they only stopped because the boy just disappeared: up and vanished from civilization as they lost him sometime after he challenged the Indigo League for the second time.

But none of it mattered.

Giovanni couldn't worry about the boy. He had his own problems to deal with. As he was thinking to himself, he began to notice that someone was coming in.

Through the door came a panting grunt. It was a young man, probably a new recruit in his early twenties. He had definitely been running, but Giovanni couldn't tell if the man had been running because he was anxious to tell him something, or if the man was simply scared for his life. The man then saluted.

"Sir! We have him! That blue haired one! What should we do with him?" Giovanni smiled and rubbed his hand across his Persian's soft fur. "Ah, yes. Finally! Bring him to me. I shall speak with him at once!"

"Sir, yes sir!" And then the man retreated to wherever he had come from to get the man. He came back soon with a dirty man in ragged clothes with light blue spiky hair. He was bound by rope, with tied up hands and many guards to keep him from escaping.

Giovanni looked at this man in wonder. The other man did the same, only he seemed a lot more surprised because of his bulging eyes.

"It's you! Y-You're the Giovanni of Team Rocket known worldwide! The criminal mastermind! What on Pokearth do you want with me? I've nothing to offer!"

"*Sigh* Yes, yes, enough with the formalities. I appreciate your obeisance, and I know your name as well. But trifle matters are not why I wish to speak with you. Your studies on the ancient pokemon Dialga and Palkia are mainly what I'm after, but you will understand soon enough why I truly called you here. Is that clear enough to you, Cyrus?"

 ***Flashback: 6 years ago: July 23rd***

Ash was disappointed that he had lost once again, only this time more than ever since he was the runner-up in the Kalos league. The simple fact stood that Ash's body could not endure continuous long use of the power of Ash-Greninja, and as a result he fainted before his Greninja could take out Alain's Mega Charizard X.

It resulted with an automatic forfeit from Ash, and a loss in the league. Losing while so close to winning was saddening, but he was happy that he had beaten his previous record. This alone got him pumped for his next adventure, and as he watched the closing ceremony with Serena, Clemont and Bonnie in the audience he felt a happiness he had not felt since he crushed Paul and ended up in the Lily of the Valley Conference Top 4.

Alain had be a strong opponent, using the power of a Garchomp, a Tyrantrum, his own Goodra, a Lucario, a Staraptor and of course his Charizard. Only now did Ash realize that his own strengths and weaknesses were what kept him from winning, and not his pokemon's.

As the ceremony came to a close, Charles Goodshow came up with a microphone and cleared his throat to grab the attention of the audience and silence them. "And now finally we conclude the Winner's ceremony."

"All six leagues take place at different times of the year, from the Indigo Plateau Conference in January to the Silver Conference in March, the Ever Grande Conference in May to the Lumiose Conference in July, and from the Vertress Conference in September to the Lily of the Valley Conference in November. And then of course we have the respective Champion League's that correspond to the months in February, April, June, August, October, and December yada yada yada Exposition yada yada."

"But enough of my rambling. We are here to celebrate young Alain's achievement in the midst of Summer and nice weather!" There was a lot of cheering from the audience. "Now, now! Let's settle down! We still have more to tell! As I said, we are now in the month of July."

"Next Month we shall hold the Champion league in which young Alain here will be able to challenge the Elite Four, and if he gets far enough miss Diantha herself!" The audience just erupted at that. "Now hold it! We have certainly focused much on Alain, but I would like to acknowledge the efforts of all combatants, especially runner-up Mr. Ash Ketchum who certainly put up a great match!"

"How about it, do you all feel the same!?" More loud cheering. "And that ends the Lumiose Conference! Thank you to Alain and Ash and to all who participated! With that, good night to one and to all! Get ready for the Champion league and the Vertress Conference in September!"

And with that, Mr. Goodshow put the mic on the stand and left to the side. As Mr. Goodshow was listing all of those names, Ash couldn't help but recall his…. past. All of his losses in the leagues, his struggles in getting to the leagues in the first place, and his countless defeats at the hands of his rivals. But who was really to blame, if anybody? He was only fourteen years old in the first place, and he had made a lot of good Pokemon friends on his journey.

So he couldn't be sad.

But inevitability struck him, and he still was.

 **And like I said, it was a very short one. And for those of you who watch the Kalos arc of the anime and know about the events in XYZ, don't worry. Team Flare WILL show up in a later chapter. And then of course we have Ash losing once again, but if I were a reader, I think I would focus on what Giovanni is planning. The next few chapters may feel irrelevant, but I can assure you that they will be very important in the end. And yes, the next few chapters will be a lot longer than this one. They will have a lot more action and characters from previous anime arcs, rivals and travelling companions included. So I hope you look forward to what I have planned in the future. Remember, ask any questions you may have and you may get exactly what you wanted out of an answer and more! But for now, I must bid you all farewell. Goodbye!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Indigo League Part 1

Chapter 2: The Return

 **Hey Guys! I'm back for more. Because it's Summer, I'll probably have quite a few chapters up in the next month. I believe this chapter is much better than the first, and it's definitely much longer. And to make it clear, italics refer to** _ **thoughts.**_ **That being said, I'll shut up and let you guys read on. Enjoy!**

 ***Flashback: 6 years ago: August 2** **nd** *****

"Hey, Ash!" Serena called. "We're going to be late for the flight!" Next to Serena were Bonnie and Clemont, waiting impatiently. After Ash's loss in the league, he had decided to go mega stone hunting, because he realized that they would provide a nice power boost, at least for training.

He had finished up collecting and was now packing them away hurriedly. He crammed them into his backpack and boarded the plane with his friends. A plane that was headed to the far away region of Kanto.

The ride was smooth, yet very boring and very long. About an 18 hour flight from Kalos to Kanto. That at least was what he had heard before he left. Ash himself had fallen asleep soon after passing Almia and reaching Ferrum about four hours into the flight.

Ash, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie arrived in Viridian City at 10:00 am on August 3rd, near Giovanni's Gym. Ash left the airport and stretched, while Bonnie came out and marveled at the scenery.

Serena and Clemont also walked out, but Serena was keeping Clemont balanced since he seemed to be sick. At this point Ash had finished stretching and was waiting or his friends. "Are you, by any chance afraid of heights, Clemont?"

Clemont's face was green. "Not of heights, but rather of flights. But I'll be alright. Clemont almost fell to the pavement, but Serena caught him and pulled him up. "Er- maybe we could stop at a Pokemon Center before we head to Pallet Town. I could use a bit of rest."

Ash gave his signature smile. "Well alright then! I need to stop by and call Professor Oak in the meantime. See you guys there!" And with that Ash bolted to the Pokemon Center as fast as Pikachu's volt tackle. Bonnie started to run, but she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. "Hold it, Bonnie! Kanto is new to you and you don't know the geography or where the Pokemon center is. Just stay with Clemont and myself."

Bonnie puffed up her cheeks and started mumbling about wanting to explore Kanto and see all of the pokemon. As a result of Clemont's air sickness, Ash's three Kalos friends walked slowly to the Pokemon Center. Bonnie and Clemont had already had a rough start in Kanto, but Ash was enjoying every second back in his home region.

The buildings, the people, and the Pokemon all made him remember his first adventure. Even the air itself acted as a trigger for Ash's memories of Kanto. Challenging Jessie and James for the Earth badge and experiencing first-hand even before Ash-Greninja the pain that Pokemon feel in battle, seeing the beautiful scenery of Viridian City, and even travelling through Viridian Forest and experiencing his first major obstacle. It all came back to Ash.

Nostalgia flooded his mind as he walked through the very familiar Pokemon Center doors and seeing a familiar Nurse Joy. Even more memories of when Ash first met Team Rocket, Pikachu started listening to him, and Misty started travelling with him. But Ash needed to focus more on calling the Professor.

He walked to the TV phone, which had been remodeled after the damage Team Rocket caused to look more modern and advanced than before, and dialed Professor Oak's number. The Professor answered the call, but wasn't actually on the screen when the screen loaded. It was more of a purple blob covering a (now) dirty lab coat.

"Ah, Muk never ceases to amuse me, or apparently Professor Oak. Professor!" Oak pushed the Muk off of him and gasped for air. "Well hello there, Ash! Your Muk still is the smothering type, after all of these years." Ash was confused.

"Uh… Professor Oak? Why is Muk with you right now to begin with?" "Actually, I'm studying if pollution and debris can result in the creation of Pokemon like Muk and Grimer, and your Muk just happens to be on hand. I became more interested in this study after you told me about Trubbish and Garbador in Unova. But you obviously called with a reason, so what did you want to discuss?"

"Well Professor, I just wanted to let you know that I'm back in Kanto and I'll be heading to Pallet Town in a couple of hours. And please don't tell my mom. I want it to be a surprise." Oak looked pleasantly surprised. "Well, my boy! That's great to hear! But I should let you know that Delia has her own little surprise for when you return. A kind of reward for making it to the finals in the Kalos league. She really almost expected you today based on her mother's intuition."

"Mom? Alright! I hope it's awesome!" Then Ash's look of excitement turned to a look of remembrance. "Oh yeah! Clemont, Bonnie and Serena will be in Pallet Town with me. They really wanted to see Kanto, and they're also the reason I can't be in Pallet Town right now. Clemont is afraid of long overseas flights and now has air sickness."

"Alright then, Ash. I'll see you here soon!" "Oh, Professor! I found a few mega stones in Kalos that I can use to enhance my Pokemon!" "Very nice, Ash! A very well done job indeed. I hope to see you win your next competition with your increased power! Goodbye, Ash!" "Bye, Professor!"

And then Ash and Professor Oak hung up. And then with the timing of legends walked in a stern and disappointed Bonnie, a queasy Clemont, and a Serena who was shaking her head. "I told you guys we should have gone faster! Now look, Ash is already done talking to Professor Oak! I wanted to say hi!" "But Bonnie, isn't your safety or your brother's health of any concern to you?"

"Yeah, Bonnie. Listen to Serena." Clemont was definitely sounding better. "So Ash, what did you talk to the Professor about?" "Just told him that I would be entering Pallet Town soon. So… how was the walk, Clemont?" "Bonnie was incessantly complaining about how she couldn't go as fast as she wanted to to see the Professor. So basically, it was just the usual." "Well... Do you guys want to start heading out to Pallet?"

Ash's eyes lit up, and for some reason Clemont's did too. "I have just the thing! I expected we'd come across a situation just like this, so I created the 'Clemont's Super-Duper Flying Device'! Or you can just call it Wing for short!" Bonnie shook her head. "You still have to work on naming…" "Hey, Wing is a fine name! Anyway, this will take us to Pallet Town in a flash! Let's try it out!" So they all went outside, where Clemont turned it on.

He started inputting numbers and coordinates, but the machine whirred and vaulted into the sea a few miles away, never to be seen again in what can be described as one of Clemont's spectacular failures. Clemont sighed. "I guess it needs some work. Sorry guys." "Don't worry, Clemont! Taking pokemon will work just fine! Talonflame, Noivern, come on out! Everybody get on!" Clemont and Bonnie hopped onto Noivern's back, and Ash and Serena got onto Talonflame's back. "Alright guys! Take us to Pallet Town!" And with that, Ash's Pokemon left quickly, leaving a gust of wind that surprised nearby civilians.

It still fascinated Ash when he looked at the world through a birds perspective, and the fact that bird Pokemon could reach Pallet Town from Viridian in half the time it took him still amazed him. Now they were above Route 1, the starting point of Ash's adventure.

It was also a peaceful time with no Jessie, James, Meowth, or Team Rocket to bother him. This made him wonder about what happened to Team Rocket after the Kalos League. They were no doubt planning something devious.

Or at least that's what Ash wanted to think, but Team Rocket was not at the top of Ash's list of things to worry about at the moment. In fact, at the moment that list was entirely empty.

The cool air of a sunny day and a blue sky in the beautiful and peaceful Kanto was all that Ash could ask for. And just knowing that he was about to see his hometown and his mother again just increased his satisfaction. And of course, it increased his excitement.

At about noon the four friends finally arrived in Pallet Town. Noivern and Talonflame landed on the outskirts of town, around where Ash first encountered a Pidgey. They all got off and stepped onto the ground, and Ash returned Talonflame and Noivern to their Pokeballs.

Ash looked at his hometown and found great joy in spotting his old plain house out in the distance. No one could forget the huge garden that Delia Ketchum and Mr. Mime had worked so hard to create, and it was a very noticeable landmark.

Ash couldn't help but run to his house, and eventually he saw his mom in the garden with Mr. Mime helping. Bonnie and Serena were coming behind, but Clemont who was really slow was trailing far behind. Ash and the two girls arrived shortly thereafter.

When Ash and Delia saw each other, Delia let out a wide smile. "Why Ash, you're back! I'm so happy to see you!" She ran up and hugged him. "I am too, mom! Did you see my battles!?" "Of course I did, honey! And you were so close to winning, too! I guess the excitement just made you faint and you had to forfeit…" "Uh… yeah, sure. Let's go with that." "I guess Arceus just didn't want you to win."

"Arceus or the writers?" "Who, honey?" "… Nobody…." "Well, at least you made runner-up! That's the best that you've ever done!" "I guess it is, isn't it?" Ash mumbled. "No one is perfect, honey. But you've come a long way from when you started your journey 4 years ago! To think you're so strong at only 14 years old! Oh but I must ask. Are these new friends you made in Kalos?"

"Yeah, but one of them isn't here yet." Ash rubbed his hair while Bonnie puffed up her cheeks again. "Why is my brother so slow!?" Everyone chuckled except for Bonnie. Soon after Clemont finally arrived, panting heavily. "Hey! Is *huff* this Ms. *huff* *huff* Ketchum?"

"Yes, this is my mom. Well, I guess now's time for introductions. The one who just arrived is Clemont. He is an inventor and an electric type gym leader in Kalos. The angry young girl here is Clemont's younger sister, Bonnie. The last girl here is Serena, who I actually met about seven years ago at Professor Oak's summer camp when I had to help her with a scrape. You may remember her. So what have you been up to, mom?"

"Nothing in particular, but I watched your performances in the Kalos League! All the way to the Finals, honey! I still can't believe it! You were great no matter what you might think!" "Thanks, mom. That being said I still have yet to win a league."

Delia got up from the garden and went to open the door. She grabbed the handle and started to speak again. "You're a strong and caring boy, and I'm glad that you're my son. So, come on in!" And with that Ash and his Kalos friends walked into the Ketchum Household.

"Besides, Ash. I'm not the only person who thinks that. Your friends strongly agree with me." Before Ash could comment, a booming "surprise" was heard all throughout the house. _Of course,_ Ash thought. _Mom was setting up for a surprise all along. But it's a lot bigger than I originally expected…_

Misty, Ash's first companion was there, along with May and Max, Dawn, and even Iris and Cilan from the far region of Unova. But of course, who could forget Brock the Doc, Ash's best friend who had been through thick and thin with him until they had parted ways when Ash had finished his Sinnoh journey. They were all here, and it made Ash happy. "You guys came all this way just for me?"

Brock spoke up. "Of course, Ash! You broke a record in the Kalos League, and you almost won it! You've certainly grown up and changed from using that 'Aim for the horn' strategy that I came to remember." Ash chuckled and rubbed his hair again.

"That is true Brock, but it does still work from time to time. It did help me a bit in the Kalos league. And speaking of which, these are some friends I met in Kalos! Here's Clemont, an electric type gym leader and his younger sister, Bonnie." Clemont looked up. "I say Ash, you never told me about an 'Aim for the Horn' strategy. I must know about it later! And Ash didn't mention this but I'm an inventor who creates some 'interesting' machines. Some that fail, but others are a great success!"

"And then the older girl is Serena. We first met at a Pokemon Camp about seven years ago, but I found her, or more accurately she found me in Kalos." The girls in the room including Serena started blushing furiously at the comment, although Ash in his density could not figure out why. All these years later Ash was still oblivious.

"But enough of the introductions! I've been working on my strategies since the Kalos League, and I've decided that 5 months from this very date I will participate in the Indigo Plateau Conference! Six times with the same dream has my heart experienced joy and sorrow when making it further and further in the leagues and then losing. Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos have all made me feel this way. But I was so close this time! I want to train and prove that I've gotten stronger, and I want my first win to be in the Kanto region, the region I grew up in and have grown to love."

Ash noticed that the females in the room had shining eyes, but he didn't dwell on the thought. "Couldn't have said it better myself, Ash. Just always know that even though you already have the boulder badge I'll be willing to have a rematch with you. I believe I speak for all of us when I say that."

Everyone nodded. "Hey Brock, can I take you up on your offer? Now I need to enter the Kanto league so that Ash and I can battle and I can see how strong he is now!" May hit Max on the head and he started rubbing the area that she hit. "Ow…" "How do you expect to beat Ash when you've only been travelling for a year!? Didn't you only get Top 32 in the Hoenn League?"

"Hey, that's still pretty good! But do you accept my proposal, Ash?" He gleamed with hope. "Of course! I'm always up for a challenge! Just promise to make it that far, alright?" "Alright! I'll win it all!" And then Ash and Max shook hands. "Alright! We all anticipate a great fight! But for now let's celebrate your achievements in the Kalos League!"

They had a big celebration, but the only problem was that Ash wasn't feeling very celebratory. There was something… something he thought about and that he couldn't tell anybody. Not even because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't. He didn't know what he was thinking about, because he could only sense something.

At the end of the night everyone left and said their goodbyes, going their separate ways until the Conference in January. Except for Serena, Bonnie and Clemont who wanted to explore Kanto but had nowhere else to go. Delia offered them guest rooms, which they thanked her for and immediately went into after the days lively activities, feeling very tired.

But as Ash fell asleep, he started having dark dreams. They steadily turned into horrible nightmares, and as Ash woke up in the early hours of the morning, dripping with sweat, he could only question the events in his dream.

 _W-What was that city?_

 _Why was it destroyed?_

 _Why had he been in the dream?_

 _Why was Arceus there?_

 _Was his mother really… really dead?_

 _Had the world, the world as he knew it been ended by Team Rocket?_

* **Flash-forward: 5 years ago: January 2** **nd** *****

Everybody had stayed in Kanto, patiently awaiting the Indigo Plateau Conference. Brock was working at a hospital, May and Dawn were pursuing what contests they could find, Misty was acting as Cerulean City Gym Leader, Iris and Max were on their Kanto journeys, focusing especially on dragon-types she could find, and Cilan was waiting tables in Viridian city.

As for Ash's Kalos friends, Clemont after a few days had decided to stay at Silph Co. while Bonnie and Serena continued to stay in Pallet Town as Professor Oak's assistants. Then the time for the conference arrived, and Ash who had been training for 4 months on Mt. Silver and 1 month in Pallet Town began to leave as he once did for the Indigo Plateau.

"Ash, don't forget to change your underwear every day! I'll be watching at home!" "Alright, mom! I'll change my underwear every day! Charizard, I choose you!" Ash called from outside. He let fly Charizard's pokeball and got on the back of his fire dragon.

"Char Char Zard Chari Charizard Chari Char!?" "Yeah buddy, I'm ready to challenge the league again. Just like old times. Only this time, I'm a lot stronger and you actually listen to me, so we're definitely going to win!" Charizard smiled at his trainer's attitude, but he couldn't help but feel guilty knowing that he alone had lost Ash the Indigo Plateau Conference all of those years ago. He had to make up for that with everything in him.

They left Pallet Town, and as Ash was flying to the Indigo Plateau he contemplated the message of the dream he had had five months ago. He always thought about it, but questions always came up. Today was, "Why that day, that night?" and "Where was that city?" Ash just tried to focus on the Indigo Plateau Conference, his goal to win for the past five months.

He started thinking about the pokemon he was going to use, and he decided on a specific three for the preliminary round. He soon arrived at the Pokemon Center, and Pikachu gave a look of determination knowing that Ash was about to get a redo for the competition that was the result of months of hard work.

"Pika Pi Pika Pi Pikachu?" "Of course I registered, buddy. You always have to be prepared. I should tell Nurse Joy I've arrived and get a hotel room. Maybe the matches are already posted…"

He walked through the automatic doors and went up to the counter. "Hello, Nurse Joy." "Oh, why Ash you're back after 4 years! I assume you've already registered?" "Yep, and this time I'm going to win it all!"

Nurse Joy chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm. "Well, I hear there's some pretty tough competition this year. Good luck! And before I forget, I need to register your Pokedex." "Sure thing, Nurse Joy. Will a different region's Pokedex work?" "It will. It works like any other Pokedex, and all I need it for is to identify you." So Ash handed her his Kalos Pokedex and she scanned it.

"Well you certainly have been training. I see some very powerful Pokemon here." Then the familiar voice rang out.

 **Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town in the Kanto Region.**

 **Badges currently in possession: 48**

Nurse Joy was surprised. "And training it was, I'd say." Ash blushed and rubbed his hair again. "Well, it certainly took a while to get to this point." "Ah yes, I can imagine. You should know though that trainers with over 40 badges and 300 Pokemon in their Pokedex get 'special accommodations'. And I see that you far exceed those expectations in both respects."

Ash was confused. "What do you mean by 'special accommodations'?" "The Indigo Plateau gets the most challengers out of any region, so the Pokemon Hotel here is very large, with 30 floors in all. The top floor is reserved for the Pokemon League Champion, or in this case Lance, and the Pokemon League President Charles Goodshow. The 29th floor is for the Elite Four, and the 28th Floor is for special trainers who have completed the requirements I just listed off. That includes you. The other 27 floors are for the other competitors. As for the rooms themselves, the 28th floor has rooms that can fit 15 people each, as well as an indoor training facility and a balcony for each room. There's also enough food to last for a month."

"Wow…. Can my friends stay in my room, too?" "Yeah, if you would like them too and they agree to it. Also, there is a Swimming pool outside, but that's for everybody and not just the competitors staying on the 28th floor." "Just out of curiosity, are you at liberty to tell me who else has these priviledges?"

"Only a few people qualify who are participating. There is Hilbert from Unova, Brendan from Hoenn, Ethan or his nickname 'Gold' from Johto, and Red from our very own Kanto." "Hmph… Not a lot. But those names.. Those are the names of past champion's, correct? And they're competing?"

"Very observant. Yes, what you speak is the truth." Ash looked on in excitement. "Nurse Joy, is the battle schedule up yet? This competition just became rather interesting…"

"Yes, it's over there near the waiting area on the screen." "Alright. Thanks, Nurse Joy!" He ran over to the board and checked the first battle. The first battle was tomorrow at 8:30 AM in the morning. Ash found Max's battle later in the day at around 10:45 AM, against a boy named Chris. Ash wasn't battling until Noon against an older man named Toby.

"Well, it's 4:00 now. I should check out a room first." He went over to Nurse Joy again, and he noticed that some of his friends were coming in as he went to get his key. It was Brock, and of course May had to go with Max to sign up early and beat everyone else to the Plateau.

"Max, why'd you have to run so far ahead?" "Because I wanted to beat Ash here!" Iris walked in. "Ugh, you're just like another kid I know. And besides, you've already lost your little game." Iris pointed at Ash. "Damn it!" Max was smacked by a familiar brunette. "Ow!" "Watch your mouth, Max! I expect more from you!" May yelled. "Oh May, lighten up a little on him." Dawn and Misty walked in after that.

"Dawn, he's 12 years old! He's fine." "But maybe you could be a little less harsh on your sibling." May just sighed, exasperated. "Yeah. Shouldn't you be registering now, Max?" "Oh yeah!" Then Max ran over to Nurse Joy.

"What a kid!" Ash walked over to the group. "Come on, Iris. He's just excited. Don't get worked up about it. That goes for you too, May. I'm sure Misty and Brock can remember how excited I was for the Indigo Plateau and Silver Conference. And I'm sure you both can remember my excitement for the Ever Grande and Vertress Conference respectively. The things you experience at leagues as a trainer stay with you forever. But for all of you, it's been a while!"

As Ash finished talking, Cilan, Bonnie, Clemont and Serena finally walked in and joined the others. "Hey guys! You finally made it! How have you guys been!" Cilan spoke up. "Oh, we haven't been actively training like you, Max or Iris, Ash. That being said we have been learning all about Pokemon, especially Kanto natives. But I believe I speak for all of us Ash when I ask this. What happened to your clothes?"

Everybody looked at Ash's clothes. His shirt was torn up with multiple cuts and rips in the fabric, and his pants had similar cuts and holes in them. "I decided that I would wear the clothes that I trained in as a testament to my hard work." Everybody looked up surprisingly at Ash. Brock spoke up. "Where exactly did you train, Ash?" "I trained for four months on Mt. Silver. I had too after I heard that **he** had trained there. And now I know that he's competing." Everybody "Wow… who's 'he' exactly? Forgive me for asking."

"I can't tell you straight right now, but let's just say he was a rival and a bully from a long time ago that wasn't named Gary Oak. You'll know by the end of the Conference." At that point Max started walking back to the group. "Hey, Ash! How's it going? I'm assuming you're a lot stronger?" _You have no idea._ Everyone else thought.

"You bet! And I'm going to win it all!" "Not so fast, Ash! I will beat you in the league and get farther than you!" "Well then Max, it seems that the competition has begun." "May the best battler win!" "Alright! Hey, may I see your Pokemon, Ash?"

Ash laughed. "Nice try Max, but you're going to have to create a strategy on the fly instead of planning beforehand." Max just stood there in shock. "I guess you have gotten smarter and stronger since the Ever Grande Conference." Max smiled. "This is going to be fun!" "You bet! Battling starts tomorrow! Are you ready for yours?" "Yup! Do you know who I'm battling?"

Ash pointed to the screen above the waiting area. "They're all up there. That includes you Iris. You should check who you're fighting. I know you're competing. Just be ready Max, because I won't let up on you in our fight!"

"Neither will I, Ash! But for now, we all need to get some rooms." "Oh, don't worry. That's already been covered." "It has?" They all said. "That was cult status right there, but anyway yes you all do. I got a special room for having over 300 Pokemon entries in my Pokedex and over 40 gym badges. It can fit all of us, and it even has an indoor training facility."

Max became excited. "Cool! Can we check it out?" "Sure! Are you guys okay with that?" They all nodded. "Alright then! We have a unanimous decision! You guys just need to tell Nurse Joy that you'll all be staying with me."

They told Nurse Joy about their plans, and she agreed to let them stay in Ash's room. They all took the elevator with the exception of Ash and Max, who were excited to see the room and ran up the stairs. When everybody else arrived, Max looked annoyed.

"We've been waiting here for five minutes!" As Max was ranting, Ash noticed a boy in red walking to his room. The boy recognized Ash, and they glared at each other angrily for a few seconds, but then walked into their own rooms.

The others didn't notice anything until Ash walked in and slammed the door, which drew their attention away from Max's ranting. They themselves then walked into the room, and were purely astounded by the sheer size and elegance of the room.

The room was huge and had a dining table and a Kitchen at first sight. After looking around a bit more, Ash found the indoor training facility and multiple bedrooms with huge beds. But after what Ash had seen in the hallway, he wasn't focusing on his amazing room.

Ash left the room and walked to the room he had seen the boy go into. He knocked rather loudly and the boy came to the door. He opened it, but once he saw Ash he tried to close the door. Ash grabbed onto the door and forced it away from the boy.

"Alright, what the hell, Red!? Why are you here!" "Because I was never stripped of my right to participate." "Well look who's come back a sore loser. You got that Lapras just to have an ice type to defeat Lance, didn't you? And you trained on Mt. Silver?" "What you say is all true. I've tried as hard as I can to make sure I win."

"I trained on Mt. Silver, too. And I **will** beat you, for Pallet Town and for mother." "Mother… She doesn't have anything to do with this. There doesn't need to be any feuding." "After what you did, there will always be contention, Red. To mother you're ubiquitous, but to me you're just nowhere. I act with kindness, with care and with love because of you. I looked up to you! And then you… you ended it all and left! You put us all in danger! Then you became Champion!? Of a region you seemingly cared nothing about! And now that you've lost that title, you have the nerve, the audacity to try and reclaim it!? Know this, Red! I don't care if you make it to the finals, because I'll be your opponent and I will end your dastardly reign!"

"…" "Oh, your classic silent treatment. I also have an understanding that the person who beat you and claimed your title is here today and for the next few days as a competitor. And I understand that you believe you can take it all, but you can't. How are you getting Team Rocket involved this time?"

"…" Ash looked on in pure anger. "Then we'll settle this on the battlefield. Goodbye, Red." And then Ash left in a fury as Red slammed the door shut. Ash walked back into his room and noticed that his friends were starting to prepare dinner.

"Ash… what happened back there?" Serena asked. "We could all hear loud yelling and a door slam." "Er…nothing. Just talking to a friend from the past who has done some questionable things recently. Nothing for you guys to worry about."

"Okay, but try not to worry us so much." "I promise it won't happen again. Because he is a competitor that I can't lose to. Max is a rivalry, but this guy… Red and I is a case of Good vs. Evil."

Everybody looked at Ash in surprise. "You know the previous champion?" "He… He lived in Pallet Town until I was 8 years old before he left on his journey. I can't say anymore. Let's just get ready to eat." Clemont, Cilan and Brock all prepared dinner for them, and like always Ash ate a lot and commented on how delicious the food was. Everybody couldn't help but chuckle at how his eating habits still hadn't changed all these years later, but they were all very curious about why Ash was so reticent about Red.

Brock looked at his watch (which he had gotten during his time as a Pokemon Doctor) and noticed that it was 9:00 PM. "Alright. I think we should all go to bed about now. It's getting late and we all, especially Max, Iris and Ash have a big day tomorrow."

They all got ready for bed, and as everyone was falling asleep Ash began to dream again. It was the same dream as five months ago, but this time he saw Red and a Lucario in his dream. Red was using his Pokemon to destroy the city that Ash had seen before. Ash could instantly recognize the Lucario as Sir Aaron's, but he didn't understand why he was in Ash's dream. Then Sir Aaron himself showed up, along with…. Arceus? And they were both in pure black, nothing but darkness for miles and nothing visible except for the bodies of Arceus, Sir Aaron…and Ash.

Sir Aaron seemed to be teaching Ash something with Arceus watching. And then Ash saw all of the legendaries, with the leaders of all of the evil organizations Ash had seen standing behind the legendaries. Archie, Maxie, Cyrus, Ghetsis, Lysandre, and in the middle of it all stood Giovanni.

However, Ash knew that as of now he had to focus on the Indigo Plateau Conference and getting one step closer to reaching his goal.

He wanted to beat Max.

He wanted to be the very best.

He wanted to win.

But he had to beat Red.

 **I plan on doing this fic in arcs, and (obviously) the first arc of A Master's Journey is the Indigo Plateau Conference. It will really focus on character development and Ash's Pokemon, but Red is a very important character that will play a vital role in later arcs. Red in this arc has an antagonistic role with a much darker secret than is being let on. Also, I got a request for Negaishipping, so I can't stress the importance of telling me what you guys want to see. How would you guys like it if this was nothing like you wanted it to be and you end up Fanfic surfing and still don't find what you want? With that, I'll leave you guys with a few questions. What happened between Ash and Red? What will happen between Ash and his companions? How will the tournament affect the entire story? How are the legendaries and God involved? And why are Sir Aaron and Lucario involved with everything? But for now, this is a goodbye. See ya!**


	3. Chapter 3: Indigo 2: The Preliminaries

A Master's Journey Chapter 3: Indigo League Part 2: The Preliminaries

 **Alright, guys. I'm back again for another chapter. I'm really sorry I haven't been updating recently, especially after saying in the last chapter that I would update frequently in the summer, but I had to spend the past two and a half weeks in Mexico and California with my family. But enough about me! This chapter will mainly be the preliminaries of the Indigo League Arc, and will lead into the first round of the tournament.**

"Iris! Iris, wake up! The Opening Ceremony is in half an hour!" Iris woke up groaning. She stretched and yawned before rubbing her eyes. "Max? What time is it?" "7:30 in the morning. You need to get ready!"

Iris got up. "Did you wake Ash up yet?" Max looked around mystified. "No clue where he is. He was already out of bed when I woke up. But I would worry about yourself with only 30 minutes to get ready for battling."

"Right. I need to decide which Pokemon to use, so I'll see you at the Ceremony." As Iris finished talking they heard a loud bang, and they noticed some smoke a few miles away. The noise woke everybody else up, and as they groggily (and angrily) got up they asked Iris and Max what was happening.

When Iris and Max didn't have an answer, they gave up on trying to find one because of how far away the smoke was.

Meanwhile, Ash was a few miles away trying to deal with the dust and smoke that his Pokemon had blown into the air.

"Charizard, use Defog! Blastoise, use Hydro pump! Venusaur, use Power whip!" All three attacks collided and the smoke dissipated. Blastoise's Hydro pump landed on the fire, and the fire soon died.

"Earthquake and Blast Burn just don't work in closed areas, apparently. Charizard, take a break! You've already shown me a large amount of your power. Venusaur, I want to see your power! Use Frenzy Plant!"

Venusaur summoned a large tree that it swung directly at a different tree. Frenzy Plant knocked down rows of trees, and ended up creating a cloud of dirt around the area.

"Good! You've done very well. Now Blastoise! I want you to use Hydro Cannon!"

Blastoise began charging two large balls of energy in its cannons, and it fired them at other nearby trees. The attack uprooted trees in a straight line for miles ahead.

"Very good! I've trained you all very well! Now I want you all to be ready for the Preliminaries, so prepare yourselves. The Opening Ceremony is in about fifteen minutes. All of you, return!" Ash held up all three of their Pokeballs, and saw the familiar red light engulf all three of his Pokemon as they went back into their Pokeballs.

Ash smirked. "It looks like I may finally win one." Ash pumped his fist in the air in excitement. "I'm finally going to win! Ash from Pallet Town is going to become the new champion of the Kanto region and will be the very best!"

Ash reached for one of his Pokeballs. "Talonflame, come on out!" Ash threw a Pokeball, which revealed Talonflame from the inside. Ash got on Talonflame's back, and Talonflame flew Ash all the way to the entrance of the stadium where the Opening Ceremony was taking place.

With only five minutes to spare, Ash walked into the stadium to join the crowds of trainers each with a dream in mind of winning. At 8:00 exactly, everyone walked into the Indigo Plateau's Main Stadium, where Charles Goodshow took to a podium far above the participating trainers in order to be level with the audience.

"Good morning, aspiring Pokemon masters! Today we gather for the introduction to the annual Indigo Plateau Conference, where one person will come out the winner with the opportunity to become the Ultimate trainer in all of Kanto! We will proceed from here with the Moltres flame! Torch bearer!"

A man came forth with the flame of Moltres, and he ran to the main torch and lit the large pan, officially starting the Indigo Plateau Conference. Everyone clapped very loudly as the flame was lit, but they stopped as Goodshow began to talk again.

"We will begin the Conference with three preliminary rounds, and then enter the main tournament afterwards. The best of luck to all of you! With that, we now conclude the Opening Ceremony!"

Everyone clapped more as floods of trainers began to exit the stadium to see Preliminary match-ups. Time passed, and at 8:30 the first battle commenced. Ash, Max and Iris didn't focus on that, and instead were focusing on their own matches.

Ash found Max and Iris in the Pokemon Center at 10:30, where Max was getting ready for his first preliminary match. "Max! Iris! Are you guys ready to battle?" Max and Iris looked surprisingly at Ash. "There you are, Ash! Iris and I couldn't find you anywhere! Where were you?"

"I was training a few miles away." Max paused for a moment. "Were you responsible for the quake and the smoke?" Ash rubbed his hair. "So uh… I guess you guys noticed that…" "I'm sure everyone for miles around noticed it. But what was it?"

"It was my Pokemon. I've put them through some intense training." "Wow! Which Pokemon, perchance?" "Max, it's not going to work no matter how much you try." "Well it was worth a shot."

"Are you ready for your first battle, Max? I'm sure we're all going to watch it, so I would be careful with the Pokemon you choose." "Yep! Speaking of which, I need to go to the battlefield before they disqualify me."

They all walked together to where Max was going to battle, and encountered their friends waiting angrily at the battlefield. "Sorry guys! I was talking to Ash. Er… I need to go in now." Everyone nodded in agreement. Max ran into the battlefield, and saw his opponent, Chris.

Chris raised a pokeball and taunted Max. "You ready to lose, Dorkmon? There's no way you can win this fight, so just give up." Max grinned. "You're clearly just trying to fool me." Max absentmindedly touched one of his own pokeballs. The referee raised a red and a green flag, one in each hand.

"Alright!" The referee called. "The battle between Chris of Vermillion city and Max of Petalburg City is about to begin! Trainer's, bring out your pokemon!" Chris smiled and reached for a Pokeball on his belt. Everyone watched in anticipation with the exception of Ash, who was looking calmly at Max.

"Let's go, Pidgeot!" Chris called. Pidgeot yelled loudly as it landed on the battlefield. After a few seconds it looked at Ash. "Pulling all the stops from the beginning, I see." Everyone looked at Ash as he said that. "Only my Pidgeot yelled like that when it was ready to fight."

"Are you saying that you can tell by a sign that small?" "Of course, Iris. It's like you and Haxorus, or Dawn and Empoleon, or May and Blaziken, and Misty with Starmie, and Serena with Delphox. I have that connection with all of my pokémon." "How did you-"

"You mean knowing exactly what separates them from the others of their species? How could you have that connection with all of your pokémon?" Brock asked. "Well, my dad was very good with pokémon, and he taught me at a young age how to care for nature and care for young life. I believe he said it had something to do with the strong power of aura in my family or something like that. Ah, I see that you're beginning to remember Sir Aaron's Lucario and the Tree of Beginning, May."

May stood wide eyed. "I do remember something like that! But I thought you needed Sir Aaron's gloves to use the power of aura?" "Yeah, for extreme things like creating tangible aura or giving somebody else some of your aura, but what I can do without it is understand tells for people and pokemon and tell what they're feeling. Although, I had to do a lot of training on Mt. Silver to get it perfect. All that being said, Pokémon tells are easy, but for human emotions I have to look through Aura vision."

"What's that?" "You know, it'd just be easier to show you, so let me. Hold on." Ash closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again, this time completely blue. "This is aura vision. It lets me see things on a different plane of existence. Emotions appear as colors, all of which my father taught me the meanings of before he left on his journey. Let's see here... Max and Chris are bright orange, which means that they're excited... the referee is purple so he's anxious to get a move on... Brock is a mix of light pink and black, so you're in love but you're nervous, I'm assuming

about the battle... Cilan, you're nervous too... Clemont, you're a mix of orange and black, so you're excited and nervous... Bonnie, you're bright orange as well, so I guess you're extremely excited... and... hmph... Misty, May, Dawn, Iris, and Serena, you all have a mix of black and very bright pink. You all must really be in love. Seriously, it's blinding. Oh, and it looks like the black is slowly starting to disappear and the pink is getting brighter. You all must be blushing right now."

All of the girls thought the same thing. "Maybe he's not as dense as we thought." Ash soon closed his eyes and opened them again, this time back to normal. "But really, you guys should tell me sometime who's making you feel that way." Everybody slapped their forehead in exasperation. The girls thought to themselves again. "Never mind..." "But Brock, Clemont, Cilan, I wouldn't worry about Max. There's no way he could lose this fight."

Clemont looked at Ash in confusion. "And why is that?" "Well, have you all seen Dragonball Z when Goku and Ginyu switch bodies... and Ginyu can't use it right because he doesn't know how to unite body and spiri- no? Ah, well." Everybody heard Red call out in the distance. "NEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRDDDDDD!" "Shut up, Red! Anyway, what I mean is that Chris doesn't have the bond with Pidgeot that I have, so even though Pidgeot is strong Chris won't be able to wield all of Pidgeot's power properly."

"But the battle should've ended by now, Ash!" "Yeah, I know you wanted to see your brother's battle, May. I wanted to see it, too. That's why I set an Aura stop, another ability my dad taught me to make catching pokémon and training a lot easier. It gives you more time by stopping everything around you for a maximum of a year, but I can only set it for 20 minutes. Everything we just talked about for the past ten minutes passed as a few seconds in real time. So right now we're about to see Max's battle even though we were talking for so long. But enough about aura (that's for the next arc)! Let's watch Max's battle!"

The referee began to speak again. "Red trainer Chris has chosen his pokémon as Pidgeot! Green trainer Max, choose your pokémon!" Max reached for his pokéballs and threw one a few seconds later. "Swampert, let's go!" The large water pokémon soon appeared from the red light and let out a ferocious yell. "Both trainers have chosen their pokémon! Let the battle between these two trainers... begin!"

Max threw his hand out in excitement. "Alright Swampert! Let's start this off with Earthquake!" Swampert slammed the ground and created a giant quake. "Pidgeot, get out of there with fly!" Chris called. "Now use Air slash!" Pidgeot used its wings to slash the air and the sky, eventually hitting Swampert and knocking it back.

Max growled in anger. "Swampert, use Hammer arm! Swampert ran at Pidgeot with its arm. Chris panicked and was hesitant for a moment before calling out. "Pidgeot, dodge!" By that point Pidgeot had been panicking like its trainer, and was unable to dodge in time. As the attack hit Pidgeot flew back a few yards into the surrounding fence around the battlefield. Chris panicked even more. "Pidgeot, use Hurricane!"

Pidgeot slowly got up and began to create a fierce wind that surrounded Swampert. "He's pushing Pidgeot too hard..." Ash mumbled. Max grinned and watched as Swampert was tossed into the sky. "Swampert!" Max yelled. "Use Hyper beam!" Swampert began to charge its attack. "What!?" Chris yelled. Everyone on the sidelines looked on in interest. "He takes after my strategies." Ash said.

Swampert fired the beam, and Chris was unable to even mumble a command as the beam came down at the speed of sound and hit Pidgeot. Pidgeot yelled in pain and fell to the ground. "Pidgeot! Can you stand up, Pidgeot!?" Pidgeot slowly got up and said its name in readiness. "Alright then! We're still in this!"

"Don't even bother." Max said to him. "This is already over. Swampert, use Hydro Cannon!" Chris began mumbling to himself. "The most powerful water type move... only a few water types can even learn it..." Chris began to look at the water energy that Swampert was charging. "Pidgeot, get out of there now!"

But Pidgeot was unable to move because of its injuries, and it was soon hit by the watery blast that Swampert unleashed. As the blast hit, Pidgeot fell back in agony, and was unable to hold on as it fell to the ground with swirls for eyes. The referee raised a flag. "Pidgeot is unable to battle! Therefore the winner of this first preliminary round is the Green trainer Max of Petalburg City!"

Chris looked on in disbelief. "How… how could I have lost?" Pidgeot's ball was in his hand as he started shaking and trembling violently. Then he threw down Pidgeot's pokéball and smashed it with his foot. "Damnit! We should have won!" "Swampert, return!" As the familiar red light engulfed Swampert, Max put Swampert's pokéball away and walked towards Chris. "It was a good match. You just gave me the advantage with that Hurricane attack. You were certainly a great opponent." As Max said that he put his hand out for Chris to shake. Chris refused to shake his hand and instead looked at Pidgeot.

"You only won because my Pidgeot is _weak_. It can't even stand the lightest attack, the damned thing. We're just going to have to train even harder until Pidgeot is barely alive." "Heartless bastard!" Ash muttered. Chris heard Ash's comment and turned to the sidelines. He walked to the edge of the fence and left Pidgeot's wounds unattended. "Who said that!"

"That would be me." Ash said. Everyone looked at the two of them. Chris started stretching his arm and making a fist. "You wanna go, bro? I'll kick your ass!" "You know, you need to watch your language. A loss is a loss, don't take it like it's going to kill you." "Hypocrite! You just called me a heartless bastard!" Ash just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "What I said was just a legitimate description to describe what I had seen from your treatment of my Pidgeot."

Chris looked on in anger. "Woah woah woah! What do you mean by 'your Pidgeot'!? I caught this Pidgeot in a forest near Pallet Town!" "That's right! Very good! You're following along! Pallet town is my home village, and this was a Pidgeot I released to protect others of its own species from the Spearow and Fearow in the area. And I'll have you know that Pidgeot is much stronger than you believe."

"Hah! And I can survive more than a few days on Mt. Silver!" "Well….." "I'd just like you to show me." "You need to understand Chris that the key behind powerful pokémon is your own emotions. If you feel anxious, your pokémon will. If you feel excited, your pokémon will too. If you feel sad, your pokémon will too. If you feel angry, your pokémon will too. And as we just saw, if you panic your pokémon will too."

"Well then show me! I want you to battle this kid's Swampert with Pidgeot, without healing it from the last battle's injuries. If you win, which you won't, you can have the Pidgeot back. If you lose… let's say you have to teach me your technique, and you won't get Pidgeot back. Deal?" "Don't do it, Ash!" Misty said. "She's hurt!" Dawn chimed in. "It won't be able to battle!" May claimed. "Don't let this kid get to you, Ash!" Iris next said. "Don't listen to him, Ash!" Serena said. "Pidgeot's too tired!" Bonnie yelled. "You can't give in!" Brock said. "Don't let this boy turn your delectable battle style sour!" Cilan added. "You won't be able to invent a proper strategy in time with Pidgeot's injuries!" Clemont finished with.

Ash thought for a moment, but it didn't take long for him to decide exactly what he wanted to do. "It's been a long time, Pidgeot." Ash looked at Max, who was watching intently. He then looked at Pidgeot. Pidgeot was staring at Ash with trust in her eyes, and at that point Ash was sure of what he needed to do.

"It's a deal."

"No!" Everyone said. "Hah! You're just a fool. I shouldn't have expected any more than that." "I may be a fool, but I care for pokémon. If caring so much for them puts my own life at risk, then so be it. Let me remain a fool. I love being one." Ash then climbed the fence and walked to where Chris was standing during the fight.

"Pidgeot! I know it's been a long time. Are you ready to fight by my side again?" Pidgeot nodded it's head. "Great! Referee, is it okay if you spare a couple more minutes for this fight? It'll be a quick one." "Well… I guess it'd be okay, but there's another match on this field in about ten minutes, so be quick!" "Alright! Max, can you get Swampert out?" Max grinned. "Sure! Swampert, come on out!" Max threw Swampert's pokéball, and it soon appeared once again on the battlefield. "Swampert Swamp, Swamper Swampert?" "We're just going to fight Ash for an unofficial test! Just go with it!" "Swampert!"

"Now heal Swampert! I want him to be at full strength for this fight!" "Sure!" Max got out some potions and started healing Swampert. He then put the potions away and got ready for the fight. "This unofficial battle between Ash of Pallet Town and Max of Petalburg City is about to begin! Red trainer Ash has chosen his pokémon as Pidgeot! Green trainer Max has chosen his pokémon as Swampert! Now let the battle between these two trainers… begin!"

"Alright Pidgeot! Let's make this quick with Hurricane!" Brock gritted his teeth. "This is not good. He's making the same mistake as Chris." "My brother may be smart, but if I know Ash he has a plan." Swampert was tossed into the air and was damaged, but Max just grinned. "Hyper beam!" Swampert charged the beam, but Ash didn't say anything or give Pidgeot a command.

As Swampert fired the Hyper Beam, Ash yelled out a move. "Use Air slash to cut through the Hyper beam!" Pidgeot used its wings and cut the Hyper beam, which hit the ground and created a massive dust storm. "Now! Use Aerial Ace!" Pidgeot ran at Swampert and attacked it, knocking it back into the fence. As the dust storm cleared, Swampert fell to the ground. "Swampert! Are you okay?!" Swampert slowly got up. "Good! Great strategy Ash, but Swampert's still not down for the count!" Ash shook his head. "You just need some more training. Pidgeot! Use Giga Impact!" Pidgeot came down on Swampert with all of its power, and as Pidgeot slammed Swampert Swampert fell to the ground with swirls for eyes.

"Swampert is unable to battle! Therefore the winner of this unofficial match is Red trainer Ash of Pallet Town!" "Swampert… good battle, Ash! You're much better than I thought!" "This isn't my victory over you, Max. It's Pidgeot's victory over Swampert, and especially Pidgeot's victory over Chris. Now Chris, I hope you see the true strength of my pokémon." "Actually, that's my pokémon." Chris walked back into the battlefield.

"You destroyed her pokéball, so she doesn't belong to you anymore." "Nonsense!" Chris rummaged for a pokéball in his bag and soon got one out, offering it to Pidgeot. "Will you be my partner again, Pidgeot?" Pidgeot just knocked the ball out of Chris's hand with her wing. Ash got out his own spare pokéball. "Old partner… will you be my pokémon once again?" As Pidgeot was about to push the button on the pokéball, Chris ran forward and threw the ball at Pidgeot. Ash swatted it away before touching Pidgeot with his own ball. "No!" The ball shook with a red light on the button three times before making a clicking sound and stopping.

"Welcome back, Pidgeot. Come on out!" As Ash let Pidgeot out, something in his bag began to shine. As he pulled it out he realized it was one of his mega stones. He gave it to Pidgeot, and it turned out to be Pidgeonite. "Amazing! Great job Pidgeot! Now you'll be even stronger than before! Now Chris do you see how she really feels?" Ash gave Pidgeot the Pidgeonite and put her back in her pokéball.

"Referee! What time is it?" "It's currently 11:55 in the morning." "Then I need to leave, Chris. I hope you see now to trust in your pokémon and accept help when it's offered." Ash offered his hand to Chris, and Chris hesitantly shook it. "Then you now see. Are you guys ready to head to my battle next?" Ash called out. They all agreed to move on to Ash's battlefield next, and Max excitedly left his battlefield in anticipation of more of Ash's awesome battling style and trainer experience.

They all ran to Ash's battlefield, and Ash hurriedly entered his side of the battlefield. "I'm here! I'm here!" Ash saw that his opponent Toby was already waiting on the other side of the field. Toby smiled. "Ah, the days of my youth without a care in the world. Time to show this kid what's up with the real world." "The battle between Red trainer Toby and Green trainer Ash is about to begin! Trainers, choose your pokémon!"

Toby grabbed one of his balls and threw it. "Dragonite, I choose you!" The pokéball opened and let out the large orange dragon pokémon. "Oh! It's a Dragonite! How I'd love to have one!" "Come on Iris, I'm trying to watch this!" "Yeah, whatever…" She said. "Good pokémon. But I think I have a better one. Come on out, Charizard!" Ash threw his pokéball at the ground, and it opened to reveal Ash's giant orange lizard pokémon.

"Charizard, eh?" Brock said. "Powerful choice." Max added. Toby just smirked. "What's so great about a Charizard?" "My Charizard has been through some pretty intense battles, I'll have you know." "And what does that mean, exactly?" "Well, according to the Sinnoh and Unova pokédex, every harsh battle Charizard goes through makes its flame burn hotter." "I'm sorry, but I still don't understand." "You know how in Dragonball Z every harsh battle a Saiyan goes through that puts them near death makes them stronger… the Zenkai boos- this not ringing a bell to anyone?" Everyone around him shook their heads. Then they heard Red call out in the distance. "NEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRDDDDDD!" "Shut up, Red! Anyway, the basic explanation is that every harsh battle Charizard goes through makes it stronger, so this'll be an interesting fight. You ready, Toby?" "Sure am! Get on with it, Ref!"

"Right, right. The battle between Red trainer Toby of Goldenrod City and Green trainer Ash of Pallet Town is about to begin! Red trainer has chosen his pokémon as Dragonite, and the Green trainer has chosen his pokémon as Charizard. Let the battle between these two trainers… begin!"

"Alright Dragonite, let's start this off with a basic wing attack!" "Charizard, you do the same!" Both pokémon ran at each other with their wings ready to strike, but Charizard's wings hit Dragonite before it could attack because of Charizard's longer wings. Dragonite fell back a few feet, generally unscathed. "I can tell Charizard put a lot of power into that attack. Toby, your Dragonite has multiscale, doesn't it?"

"Sure does. Didn't take much damage 'cause Dragonite's at full health. Well not now, anyway. But this is where it gets real. Dragonite, Dragon rush! Let's go!" "Charizard, dodge and use Seismic Toss!" Brock grinned. "A classic move." "He certainly did use it a lot." Misty said. "Seismic Toss is a move with which attack depends on the user's level. If Charizard's even half as strong as we believe it is, this attack should nearly win Ash the battle in a single fell swoop." "Max, I think we've all seen how strong Charizard is. If the attack hits it will be devastating for Toby and Dragonite." May added. "A move with an interesting and varying flavor!" Cilan stated.

Dragonite attempted to attack Charizard, but Charizard was too fast for Dragonite. As Charizard dodged, it grabbed Dragonite and flew into the sky. "Dragonite! Get out if there!" Charizard started spinning slowly, and then faster, and eventually dived right into the ground with Dragonite right under it. "Besides…" Clemont began to speak. "I don't think Charizard's weight or speed helped Dragonite either."

A large dust cloud started rising, and soon everybody was coughing. As it began to clear, it revealed Charizard standing over Dragonite's scratched and dirty body. "Dragonite is unable to battle! Therefore the winner-" Toby held up a finger. "Hold on ref! Dragonite isn't out yet! Use Hyper beam!" Dragonite's eyes shot open as it quickly charged and fired a beam directly into Charizard's stomach. Charizard flew back to the fence with a cry in agony. "Charizard!"

Ash looked at Toby. "Well played. You're a very good actor, and your Dragonite, too. But I'm afraid that this is where I really start fighting. Charizard, use sunny day!" "What is Ash planning?" Dawn said. "All I know is that it's going to be bad for Dragonite." Iris said, almost disappointed. The heat of the sun intensified.

"Great job! And now, it's time to end this. What's say you, Toby?" "Of course, but you'll be the only one going home disappointed. Dragonite, use thunder punch!" "Charizard, dodge!" Charizard quickly dodged Dragonite's attack. "And now…" Ash turned his hat backwards. "Charizard! Use Blast Burn!" "What?! OH! Sunny day is going to increase the power of that! Son of a- Dragonite, try to dodge!" But Dragonite wasn't fast enough. The fiery explosion engulfed Dragonite and created a smoke cloud around the battlefield. When it cleared, Charizard was once again standing over Dragonite's body. Only this time, Dragonite had swirls for eyes.

"Dragonite is unable to battle! Therefore the winner of this first preliminary round is Green trainer Ash of Pallet Town!" "Good job, Charizard!" Ash went up and hugged his partner. "Alright, Charizard! Return!" Ash brought out Charizard's pokéball and returned Charizard. He then flipped his hat so that he was wearing it in the right direction. "I guess your Charizard was just too much for me, Ash. I'll admit that you had me bested." Toby said walking up to Ash. He too grabbed a pokéball from his bag. "Dragonite, return!" Dragonite was sucked into the red light and back into its pokéball. "It was a great match." Toby put his hand out for Ash to shake. Ash accepted it and they shook. "It certainly was. Thank you for the great battle! Even though you lost in the first round, I believe you have the potential to win in the finals. Good luck to you, Toby!" "And to you too, Ash. Win it all for me! Don't let my loss be for nothing!" And with that they both exited the battlefield, Ash walking over to his friends and Toby walking in a different direction.

"Wow Ash! You were amazing!" Ash blushed. "Thanks Serena, but it was nothing. But what did the rest of you guys think?" "That Blast Burn and Sunny day combination I don't think any of us were expecting. You certainly have gotten a lot stronger." Brock said. "Not only that, but you were able to tell what Dragonite's ability was by the first move! I can't even do that! You're much smarter now, too." Max added. "A combination with an intense taste!" Cilan said. "You were…. you were great!" Dawn stated while blushing. "Wow… Dawn, I think you have a fever! Oh wait, hold on… give me a second to look in aura vision…" Ash repeated the process he had done earlier, and soon opened his eyes to once again reveal a blue glow. "Oh yeah! Dawn, you and Misty and May and Iris and Serena, you all have that same bright pink glow! I'm actually starting to get the impression that you guys are thinking about me! The light's even getting brighter!"

"He really has grown." Max mumbled. Ash closed his eyes once again, and opened them now back to normal. "Ash, I've actually been meaning to ask you something about your aura." Serena said. "Yeah Serena? What is it?" "How exactly did your dad ever teach you these things if he left long before you started your journey? I know he at least hasn't been there since before Professor Oak's Summer Camp." Ash flinched at the word "left".

"Er… it's a long… and very depressing story. The short version is that back when I was part of one big happy four person family-" "Woah, hold on Ash!" Brock stopped him. "What do you mean 4 people?" "Yeah… I have… I have a brother." Everyone stared at him wide-eyed in shock. "Ash! Why'd you never tell us!" Misty yelled.

"It's not something I prefer to bring up. My father would teach my brother and I together when we were both young, but I never learned how he learned all that he did about aura. After all, the last lineage of Aura guardians ended with Sir Aaron. But all of it ended when I was six. My brother had turned eight just a few days ago, and my father called him into his room. Something my dad said to my brother caused a fight between the two. Afterwards, my mom and I went up to dad's room to check if everything was okay, but what we found was nothing. Both had left. But a few days later I learned the whole truth. That… that…"

Ash looked down and grinded his teeth. He shut his eyes tightly and a few tears escaped, falling onto the pavement. "I'm sorry. I can't say anymore." Everyone looked on in a sorrowful silence. Then Serena broke the silence. "How did you get over it so quickly? You seemed so happy at camp." "That's because I never did get over it. I just focused on the family member I still did have left, my mom. I also focused more than ever on accomplishing my dream of becoming a pokémon master, because now I was also doing it for my mentor. That being said, there's somebody's match that I need to see. And it's a match that I need to see alone."

Ash set an Aura stop on everything around him, leaving the only things that were moving to be him and Pikachu. "Sorry you had to hear all that buddy. You sure stayed silent. I promise, I won't stay depressed." "Pi ka chu chu pi ka?" "I had to stop time to keep them from following me. Should they follow me they'll learn more than I really want them to. But in the meantime, there's another prelimary match that I want to see before we head to Iris's match. Come on, Pikachu."

Ash's small yellow rodent pokemon nestled against Ash's cheek in sympathy. Ash began to walk in the direction of a specific battlefield. "Alright… I should make the battle, even if it should only be thirty seconds… and I fought in battlefield 93, and he's at about 256, so we've got a ways to go, Pikachu."

Ash began his trek to a battlefield a few kilometers away. It would have normally taken an hour or so, but with time being stopped nobody was able to get in Ash's way. By the time Ash got to the battlefield, the battle was about to begin. On the red side was a teenager, about 17 years old in a red and white shirt and hat, with black sleeves and blue jeans. On the green side was another young looking trainer, one who looked scared out of his mind. " _I guess that boy's heard of him. His status, and his power. Then I guess I too shall know see. How good have you become since we last fought, Red?"_

Ash released his aura stop, and the battle between the boy and Red continued on schedule. " _And it looks like he's using Lapras. Not a very good decision on the boy's part to choose Venasaur."_ "Alright! Let the battle between these two trainers… begin!"

Red adjusted his hat. "Alright Lapras. Let's finish this quickly with an ice beam." Lapras shot a beam of ice at the boy's Venasaur, and it proved effective. The Venasaur was knocked back and fell to the ground with swirls for eyes. "No! Venasaur!" The boy ran up to his Venasaur and silently held back tears as he recalled his grass pokémon. _"Damnit, Red! I can't tell how strong you are if you simply just go for the type advantage!"_ Red just silently recalled his Lapras, without even so much as a single word.

"Venasaur is unable to battle! Therefore the winner of this first preliminary round is Red trainer Red of Pallet Town!" Red looked in Ash's direction, and glared at Ash for a second. Ash returned the favor with a hard stare. "The results were obvious from the beginning." Red muttered before leaving the battlefield and walking off towards the Pokémon Center. Ash began to walk off in a different direction when he bumped into somebody. "Hey, watch it! Oh, wait a minute! You're Ash Ketchum, aren't you?" Ash looked at the figure standing in front of him, and all it took was the hair and the attitude to figure out who was talking to him. "Yeah Paul, it's me. Am I to guess that you're participating in the conference?" Paul grinned. "Why of course! And last time you got lucky with Infernape, but you can sure as hell believe that this time I will crush you like the deadbeat you are. That is, of course, assuming you even make it far enough to face me." Ash gave his own signature smile. "And I can say the same to you, my friend. I've gotten so much stronger, my power is almost palpable. I'm sure it'll be an interesting fight." "Yeah right. You'll get pounded. See ya." With that Paul just walked off.

"This conference really is getting interesting! May the best man win, Paul." Ash began to head off to Iris's battlefield, but as he approached it he was greeted by an angry Misty. "Alright, Ash! Why are you being so secretive? Seeing you in pain hurts us all, but your reticence hurts us even more!" "I'm sorry, Misty. Some things I just need to handle myself. I had to talk to someone, and see their battle. I'm also sorry I had to use an Aura stop, but I didn't want you guys to follow me and know who I was talking about. It was too important. But when does Iris's battle start?" Misty stared on in anger. "It's already over, Ash! Iris easily beat the other girl's Typhlosion with her Excadrill." Ash rubbed his head. "Er.. sorry I'm so late. But when's your next battle, Max?" Max checked his watch. "It's in about ten minutes. They're really trying to squeeze in all of the preliminary rounds today. That being said, the first round has ended, so half of the battlefields have already been closed off. Let's head out!" They all ran out to Max's battlefield, and as they ran Ash started thinking. _"Arceus, today's been eventful! First I got Pidgeot back, then my intense battle against Dragonite, then my back story, followed by Red's battle! And we have yet to even get through half of the day. It's going to be a long one…."_

 _Max, Ash, Iris and Red all ended up making it to the main tournament. In Max's second round he suffered a bit, but his Swellow was able to pull through against his opponent's Blaziken. In his third round he had an easy time defeating the opponent's Pelipper with his Crawdaunt. Iris had an easy time in the second round, crushing the opponent's Gabite with her Haxorus. In the third round however, she encountered some trouble with her Hydreigon against a Goodra, but she managed to narrowly win with a Draco meteor._

 _Ash and Red however were able to breeze through their matches. Red found himself fighting a Kingler and a Dusknoir, the Kingler of which he one-shotted with his Pikachu and the Dusknoir which took two hits from his Charizard. Ash had an even easier time. His second opponent was a Salamence, which he took out in one hit with his Blastoise's Hydro Cannon, and a Tyranitar as his final opponent which went down from a single Frenzy Plant from Venasaur. As Ash finished his match against Tyranitar (the latest match of the three in the group occurring at 10:45 at night), they all decided to head back to the Pokémon Center._

Ash looked at the match-ups board, and it had been updated with those participating. He and the others took a long look at the board. "Looks like I'm facing somebody named Trevor." Max said. Iris then found her name. "Looks like I'm fighting… a girl named Tiffany. What about you, Ash? Ash?" Ash gave the widest grin he ever had when he realized who he was facing the very next day.

"What's wrong, Ash?" Ash continued to look at the board. "Well then. It looks like it's time to show Trip that this boy from the boonies is wearing even bigger britches now."

 **So that was the third chapter! Ash has a lot more backstory, Red is a powerhouse worthy of fighting Ash and his newfound strength, and Ash has new abilities! The biggest mystery right now is how Ash's father knew what he did, and what exactly happened to Ash's father and brother. Those questions will be answered and the tournament continued in the next few chapters! If you have a suggestion, make sure to leave a review, and of course if you liked the first three chapters make sure to favorite and follow! See ya!**


	4. Author's Note

**-Author's Note-**

 **So I currently have as it stands:**

 **-1 request for negaishipping**

 **-2 requests for Amourshipping**

 **Thank you to those who have told me what you want. It's too early to make a true decision and have an official shipping, but I can lean in any direction; and so far that direction is Amourshipping. Perhaps I'll even hold a poll if enough people care and favorite/follow… but for now, that is all. I'll probably begin writing Chapter 4 later today or sometime early tomorrow. That being said, GokuCaught'EmAll out!**


	5. Chapter 4: Indigo 3: Old Rivalries Anew

A Master's Journey Chapter 4: The Indigo League Part 3: Old Rivalries anew

 **Alright guys! I'm back once again for the fourth chapter and the third part of the first arc. I'll leave it brief this time, but the past three chapters there was something that I forgot to say. *Eh-hem* I do not own pokemon, nor anything relating to it. All rights belong to Game Freak, The Pokemon Company and Nintendo. If I did own Pokemon I would probably not be writing this. And sorry it took so long, but I've been preoccupied with the dreaded, dastardly summer work. But here's Chapter 4, finally!**

Ash hadn't gotten any sleep that night, but only because he spent all of his time training. It didn't really matter though: his adrenaline was pumping all through the night. All he could think about was facing his old Unova rival once again in another official league competition. The thought was invigorating.

And Ash couldn't help but smile at the faces of his friends last night. The faces of pure and utter shock, especially from Iris and Cilan. Of course it was a logical assumption that Trip had gotten better, but so had Ash. It was certainly going to be an intense battle.

Ash recalled the two pokemon he was going to use in the battle, and returned to the pokemon center to get them healed. He handed two pokeballs and Pikachu over to Nurse Joy and sat down in the waiting area. He looked at the clock, and noticed that he was short on time. His match was in 20 minutes. As he sat down he thought to himself.

" _Red… why? Why did you do it? What did he say to you? And why are you here now? To reclaim the title? No… you've never been that much into fame… why then, would y- oh sh- if that's what he's planning we're all screwed! But then how does Giovanni fit in?"_

As he continued to think, somebody else walked into the pokemon center. It was a male, with bluish-gray eyes, with dirty blond hair and an orange jacket covering a black hoodie. " _Well, Red can wait. Meanwhile, look who's finally showed up. We meet again, Trip."_ Trip walked up to the counter and handed his own three pokemon to Nurse Joy.

Nurse Joy took Trip's three pokeballs, and then he himself walked over to the waiting area. He sat down opposite of Ash, and looked curiously at him. Ash was still wearing his Kalos clothes, but that didn't keep Trip from recognizing him. Trip looked at Ash in the eyes and grinned.

"Ever fighting, I see. Guess I should expect to fight guys from the boonies when I'm in the boonies. Especially in the first few rounds." "You know Trip, just because you're in Kanto doesn't guarantee you victory. I guess not all Pikachu trainers can beat a Snivy, but they can certainly all beat a Serperior." Ash said to his rival.

"Even for a 3-on-3 match, it'll be an intense one. At least assuming you've kept up your training. Of course, I'll be the one making it to the six-on-six matches. Not sure about you, Ash." "Trip…" Ash smiled. "I can say the exact same to you. Good luck to you. You'll definitely need it."

"You sure? Judging from my experiences fighting you I'm not so sure I'm the one that needs luck today." "You will be sure soon enough. I'm guessing you're only even here because your defeat in Unova caused you to want to see what more trainers from Kanto are like. Too bad for you, you won't get far enough."

"Why don't you put your money where your mouth is?" Ash was about to rebut, but Nurse Joy then brought out five pokeballs and Pikachu. "Ash! Trip! Your pokemon are fully healed!" Ash and Trip walked up to the counter. "Thank you Nurse Joy!" "Yeah. Thanks. I'll be taking my pokemon now."

Trip grabbed his pokeballs and put them away. "See you in battle, Ash." Trip left the Pokemon Center and walked to the main stadium. Ash looked back at Nurse Joy, and then at his pokemon. His gaze then turned to Pikachu, and then back to Nurse Joy. "I'll be taking my pokemon now. Thanks, Nurse Joy." Ash grabbed his pokeballs and put him away, while Pikachu climbed onto his shoulder.

"Pi ka kachu pi ka chu?" "Of course I'm ready for him, Pikachu. Trip's in for more of a surprise than he may expect. Thank you Nurse Joy!" "Your welcome, Ash. Stop by any time to heal your pokemon if the need presents itself." "Sure will! Goodbye!" As Ash walked away Nurse Joy sighed. "Ah, the days of my youth…"

Ash walked to the doors of the pokemon center, but as he was leaving he noticed that his friends were finally coming out. Max, Iris and Bonnie came barreling out, with the girls following behind and Brock, Cilan and Clemont trailing far behind the others. "Guys, watch out!" Clemont said. "We'll be fine!" Bonnie said. "You're going to run into somebody!" Clemont said, not noticing Ash next to the door. "Oh come on! There's nobody else in the center!" Max said, also not noticing Ash since he was looking behind him at Clemont.

May was about to speak up, but Max was running too fast. Ash, noticing what was happening side stepped just in time to see Max run out the door in the same direction as Trip towards the stadium. Bonnie followed in his footsteps towards the stadium. The rest all joined Ash at the door.

"Well they were excited about seeing my battle." "Yeah." May responded. "I'm going to have to talk to mom about getting Max new glasses." "And I'm going to have to talk to dad about getting Bonnie glasses." Clemont added. "Hey Ash! How've you been?" "Training, really. Getting ready for my battle."

"I still can't believe that here of all places you're fighting Trip, and in the first round!" "Yeah, I understand what you mean, Iris. It was probably just convenient writing…" "What was that?" "Er…nothing! I didn't say a single thing! But really, I need to head to my battle. I have… oh Arceus. Five minutes! Sorry guys, but I've got to run!"

"But what about an aura stop?" "Nope! This provides a boost in adrenaline that I really need for this battle after staying up all night! See you!" With that Ash ran out the door towards the stadium.

"Well. I guess we should follow him." Iris said. "Excuse me?" Nurse Joy called from across the room. "Can you please close the door? You're wasting the air conditioning, and there'll be fines from the league if it costs too much for them." Everyone looked at each other. Brock spoke up. "Nurse Joy, we're leaving now. Sorry about that." "No problem!" "Alright guys. Let's go."

So they all closed the door and walked to the main stadium for Ash's first tournament match.

Ash walked into the alternate entrance to the stadium, meant only for competitors and took a deep breath. "It's time once again, Trip." With that, Ash walked out onto the battlefield and entered his trainer's box.

Unlike the preliminaries where only a few people at most were watching each battle, the official tournament had thousands of viewers on the sidelines (not even including those watching on TV). But Ash wasn't focusing on any of them. He knew his friends would be in the audience somewhere.

Instead he looked at the other side of the field, where his opponent awaited him. "You're late. They were about to disqualify you." "Would it have mattered to you? I thought you just wanted to get further."

"I'm moving onto the next round whether or not I'm fighting you, but a disqualification's no fun. That being said…" Trip grabbed a pokeball and held it up for Ash to see. "You ready to get crushed?" Ash held up his own pokeball. "Don't be so sure."

"Alright! The battle between Red trainer Trip of Nuvema Town and Green Trainer Ash of Pallet Town is about to begin! Trainer's, choose your pokemon!" Trip was the first one to let his pokeball fly. "Let's go, Conkeldurr!" The familiar red light appeared and unveiled the large muscular pokemon.

"Conkeldurr. A classic. Thanks for making this a whole lot easier." Ash threw his own pokeball, and it opened up to reveal a beautiful bird pokemon. "I choose you, Pidgeot!"

"So he's going with Pidgeot…" Brock said. "I remember when he first released Pidgeot, and how sad he was afterwards." Misty added. "And what a scrumptious type advantage this provides for Ash! A flying type against a fighting type? Good for Ash, but bad for Trip." Cilan concluded. "Well then I expect a good battle." Max said excitedly.

The referee raised the flags. "Let the battle between Trip and Ash…begin!"

"Alright, Conkeldurr! Forget the type advantage, let's just take Pidgeot down quickly with bulk up!" Red rings of aura surrounded Conkeldurr, increasing its strength. "Now use a trio attack of Strength, Rock Tomb, and Stone Edge!" Conkeldurr sent the trio of attacks Pidgeot's way. "Pidgeot, dodge!"

But it was unable to, and came crashing down with swirls for eyes. "No!" Trip and Conkeldurr grinned. "You're still so weak. You didn't even hit Conkeldurr." Then Ash's look of horror turned slowly into a laugh. "Pidgeot, use Air Slash!"

"Idiot, Pidgeot's incapacitated!" Then something cut through the air and hit Conkeldurr directly, causing it to fly into the wall nearby. "What!? How?" "And you're still so simple-minded, Trip. Pidgeot used Substitute."

"But where did it hide?" Ash rolled his eyes. "Did your cockiness take up all of the space in your head where the brain should be? It hid in the sky! Pidgeot flies high in the sky, and at Mach 2 speeds! You really think that pathetic excuse for a barrage of attacks would hit a speed demon like a Pidgeot?"

"Wait, Mach 2? The hell is that?" "In fluid dynamics, the Mach number is a dimensionless quantity representing the ratio of flow velocity past a boundary to the local speed of sound." "…Again, the hell is that?" "Nerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrddddd!" Red shouted from the audience. "Shut up, Red! Trip, let's just say that Pidgeot can fly at over 1,000 miles per hour."

"Interesting. This may be harder than I thought. You certainly are a lot smarter… I guess it's just time to fight for real." Pidgeot flew back to the ground, and Conkeldurr got out of the rubble and also came back to the battlefield.

"Conkeldurr, use Focus Punch!" "Pidgeot, don't dodge! Just fight it with a Steel Wing!" Both pokemon charged their attacks, and soon ran at each other with the goal of incapacitating the other. The attacks collided and created a small dust cloud, which when cleared revealed that both pokemon were fine. Although at closer inspection, Ash and Trip realized that Conkeldurr had a few scratches.

"And now Pidgeot's defense has increased because of Steel Wing. Pidgeot, use fly!" Pidgeot flew high into the air. Trip looked up at Pidgeot and then back at Conkeldurr. "Use Dig, Conkeldurr! Don't let it spot you!" Conkeldurr dug underground to wait for Pidgeot's attack.

Pidgeot looked down and panicked. " _Pidgeot…don't see with your eyes…see with your mind…find rustling in the dirt."_ Pidgeot heard Ash's advice, and concentrated its mind. Then Pidgeot saw something on the ground, and rushed towards it. Trip saw this, and both trainer's cried out their attacks. "Dig, now!" "Fly, now!" Conkeldurr jumped out of the ground and charged at Pidgeot in the air. Both attacks hit each other, and both pokemon flew tow ards opposite walls.

Both pokemon walked out of the rubble with multiple scratches, but Pidgeot had less thanks to its increased defense. Trip observed the battlefield and came up with an idea. "Conkeldurr! Throw your concrete pillars at Pidgeot's wings and pin it to the wall!" Conkeldurr followed Trip's instructions and threw the concrete at Pidgeot.

" _Pidgeot… I know you can hear me. Don't dodge the pillars. Let Trip pin you to the wall."_ Pidgeot looked at its trainer confused. " _Trust me."_ Conkeldurr threw its concrete pillars at Pidgeot, and following Ash's orders Pidgeot spread its wings and allowed itself to get hit by the pillars and pinned against the wall. Pidgeot cried out in pain.

"What is Ash doing?" Max said. "Pidgeot is a fast pokemon, so why would he let that happen?" Everyone else was too consumed in the battle to answer him. "Pidgeot please, just battle through the pain." Trip smiled. "And the speed demon goes down. Conkeldurr, finish Pidgeot with Superpower!" Conkeldurr charged Pidgeot, and as it got close began to power its attack.

As it closed in, Ash looked at Pidgeot. "Use Hyper Beam." "What?!" Trip looked horrified. Pidgeot complied and quickly charged its own attack. As Conkeldurr reached Pidgeot, Pidgeot unleashed its monster beam at point blank range. Conkeldurr flew backwards at the wall and fell down with swirls for eyes.

Meanwhile, Pidgeot used Steel Wing to push the concrete pillars out and free itself. They fell to the ground and shattered. The referee raised the green flag. "Conkeldurr is unable to battle! Therefore the winner of the first round is Green Trainer Ash and Pidgeot! Red Trainer, call out your next pokemon!" Then a red bar depleted on Trip's side of the huge electronic board to signal that he only had two pokemon left. "Great move on Ash's part." Max said.

Trip mumbled something to himself and recalled Conkeldurr. He grabbed another pokeball and threw it. "Let's go Unfezant!" The Unova bird pokemon appeared on the battlefield to rival Ash's classic Pidgeot. "A bird, huh? Pidgeot, can you still fight?" Pidgeot nodded.

"Alright! Let's do this!" "Let the round…begin!" "Pidgeot!" "Unfezant!" "Use fly!" Both pokemon flew into the sky and charged towards the other. Both attacks hit, and both pokemon fell slightly in height. "Pidgeot, use Secret Power!" "Unfezant, you do the same!"

Both pokemon flew towards each other once again and used their secret power attack, which did more damage because they were in the sky. They both fell to the ground of the battlefield, weakened. "Unfezant, use Steel Wing!" "Pidgeot, use Agility and dodge Unfezant's attack!"

Unfezant ran at Pidgeot with its attack as Pidgeot concentrated its power and increased its speed. As Unfezant closed in Pidgeot dodged. "Last ditch effort, Pidgeot!" "Unfezant!" "Use Giga Impact!"

Both pokemon rushed towards each other. Using every bit of their power, they attacked each other. It created a huge dust cloud around the battlefield. Once it cleared, it revealed that both Unfezant and Pidgeot were both down for the count with swirls for eyes.

"Unfezant!" "Pidgeot!" The referee raised the red and green flags. "Both Unfezant and Pidgeot are unable to battle, and therefore this match is a draw! Both trainer's, call out your next pokemon!" Another bar disappeared from Trip's side of the electronic board, and one bar disappeared from Ash's side.

Trip grinned. "You're better than I thought you would be. Looks like this is my last chance. Let's go!" Trip threw his third and final pokeball onto the battlefield. "Serperior!" The familiar grass serpent was obviously going to be Trip's reserve pokemon.

"Well then, Trip. If you're third pokemon is Serperior, then for my second pokemon…" Ash looked at Pikachu. "You ready, buddy?" Pikachu nodded its head. "Then Pikachu! I choose you!" Pikachu walked onto the battlefield.

"Let the round…begin!" "Serperior, use Leaf Storm!" A bunch of leaves gathered around Pikachu, trapping it. "Pikachu, before it hits you fry the leaves with Thunderbolt!" Pikachu fired its electricity and burned the leaves to a crisp.

"Now, use Thunder on Serperior!" Pikachu launched a bolt of electricity at Serperior, which hit and caused Serperior to cry out in pain. Even after the bolt was gone, there was still electricity around Serperior, signaling that Serperior was paralyzed.

"How?" Trip asked ash. "How did an electric type do so much damage to a grass type? Do type advantages not apply at all?" Ash rubbed the back of his head and grinned. "You uh…you probably don't want to hear about my battle history. But Pikachu is pretty strong."

"No matter. Serperior, use Giga drain!" "Pikachu, outrun it with a Quick Attack!" Pikachu avoided the attack and charged Serperior, doing more damage.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! How are you beating me so easily!?" "Trip, you can't win with just power alone. It takes a bond and complete trust between trainer and pokemon." "No! Serperior, use Frenzy Plant!" Serperior created a tree using its aura, and threw it at Pikachu.

"Then I'm sorry you don't understand it, Trip. Pikachu, use Quick Attack and then turn it into a Volt Tackle!" Pikachu used Quick Attack to avoid the Frenzy Plant, and then electrified itself and ran faster towards Serperior.

"Serperior, dodge the Tackle!" Serperior tried, but the paralysis was too much, and it was inevitably hit by Pikachu. A cloud of dust arose, and cleared only to reveal that Serperior was down with swirls for eyes.

"No…" The referee raised the green flag. "Serperior is unable to battle! Therefore the winner of this round and this match is Pikachu and Green Trainer Ash of Pallet Town!" Then Trip's final red bar depleted. The crowd cheered for Ash, while Trip simply hung his head in shame. He slowly looked up at Serperior lying on the ground, and grabbed its pokeball.

"Serperior, return!" The red light engulfed Serperior's body and brought it back into the pokeball. Trip put it away and walked to the center of the battlefield, and Ash followed suit.

"Come on, Pikachu." Pikachu climbed onto Ash's shoulder as Ash and Trip reached the center of the stadium. "So, how are you right now, Trip?" "Oh, I'm absolutely livid. But I must admit that you have me bested. The only thing is, for knocking me out of the tournament this early you need to win. Don't make this victory worth nothing in the long run. After all, I could've won and would've won it all."

Ash nodded his head. "Don't worry, Trip. Of course I'm going to win." Ash held his hand up for Trip to shake, and Trip accepted it. "Well, see you. I got to go and train. I expect to see you in the finals, Ash." "Expect to see me in the Champion's League in a month. See you, Trip." Then they both left the stadium on opposite sides to the Trainer area.

When Ash walked in, he encountered a trainer looking hesitantly at the entrance to the battlefield. "Why are you looking at the field like that?" Ash asked the man. "M-my next o-opponent...y-you've h-heard of h-him, r-right? Red…" Ash looked at the man in wonder. "Red? He's fighting next?" The man nodded his head. "I'm sorry but I have to go. Good luck in the fight!" Ash walked out of the room and left the stadium, only to reenter through the spectator entrance.

He remembered his friends saying last night where they'd be sitting, so he worked his way through the audience. Nobody was getting up: all 32 battles for that day would be in that one stadium. As he was making his way to his friends, he noticed that the electronic board was changing to Red and the trainer that he was fighting.

Ash finally found his friends, staring intently at the battlefield as the two fighters came out. "Hey guys." They turned to Ash. "Hey, Ash! Your battle was great!" "Yeah…thanks." Ash looked at the battlefield and saw that Red and his opponent were coming out.

"So is there a seat for me?" Ash asked. "Oh yeah, we saved one for you." Cilan said. "It's right between Max and Iris." "Alright. Thanks." Ash went and sat down next to Max and Iris, and everybody looked back at the battlefield.

"So Red is fighting next, then." Max said. "Yup. I feel bad for the trainer fighting him. I talked to him before I left, and he was very scared to fight Red. The thing about Red is that he is very powerful, and will utterly destroy you in battle if you let him walk all over you."

"Then this battle will be quick." Max added. Red and the guy reached their Trainer's Box, and the referee raised both flags. "Alright! The battle between Red Trainer Red of Pallet Town and Green Trainer Rick of Viridian City! Trainer's, choose your pokemon!"

Rick threw his first pokeball. "Let's do this, Slowbro!" The pink Hermit Crab Pokemon appeared on the battlefield. Red then tossed his own pokeball onto the field. "Win it all, Lapras." Lapras appeared on the side of the field opposite of Slowbro.

"Let the battle between Red and Rick…begin!" "Lapras, let's end this off with Ice Beam." "Wait, _end_ it off?" The beam of ice shot forward and hit Slowbro, and Slowbro fell down with swirls for eyes.

"Seriously!?" The referee raised the red flag and a bar depleted on the green side. "Slowbro is unable to battle! Therefore the winner of the first round is Red and Lapras! Green trainer, call your next pokemon!" Rick recalled Slowbro and then grabbed for his second pokeball and threw it. "It's your turn, Blastoise!" The large Turtle pokemon let out a loud roar upon being released. "Let the round…begin!"

"Alright, Lapras. Hit him with a Hydro Pump." Lapras launched a huge amount of water at Blastoise, and when it came in contact instantly knocked down Blastoise with swirls replacing its eyes.

"How are you that powerful!?" The referee raised the red flag and another green bar depleted. "Blastoise is unable to battle! Therefore the winner of this round is Red and Lapras! Green Trainer, call out your final pokemon!" Rick recalled Blastoise and threw his final pokeball. "Damn…you're very good, I can admit. Let's go out with a bang, Dragonite!" Rick's final pokemon came onto the battlefield.

"Why'd you have to have a Lapras the one day I use Dragonite?..." "Let the round…begin!" Red grinned. "I'll give you the first move. I think you need it." Rick took a step back offended, but then looked at Red in sheer anger. "Then I want you to use Hyper Beam, Dragonite!"

Dragonite began charging its beam. "Lapras, when it gets close dodge it and then use Sheer Cold on Dragonite while it's resting." Dragonite shot the beam at Lapras, but following Red's orders Lapras dodged at the last minute and began to use Sheer Cold.

The beam hit the wall and caused a cloud of smoke. Lapras blasted absolute zero cold at Dragonite, instantly incapacitating it. When the smoke cleared, Dragonite was down for the count. "Dragonite!" The referee raised the red flag for the third time, and the final green bar was no more. "Dragonite is unable to battle! Therefore the winner of the round and the match is Red Trainer Red of Pallet Town!"

Red recalled Lapras while Rick recalled Dragonite. "That quick?!" Max exclaimed with bulging eyes. "Of course. Red isn't to be messed with. Although, judging by what I saw Max, he's in the second bracket while we're in the first. So if we make it far enough, we'll end up facing off in the semi-finals. The same goes for Iris and Red."

"What?" Iris looked at the battlefield, and then at Ash. "I'll have to face him in the semi-finals? Seriously!?" "Seriously, Iris. But the same goes for Max and I. If one of us wins in the semi-finals and you end up losing then one of us will have to face Red in the Finals."

Red and Rick walked to the center of the battlefield, and Rick offered Red his hand to shake. Red refused to take it, and Rick slowly put it down. Then they left the battlefield on opposite sides.

"Some match, huh Ash?" Max asked. Ash nodded. "It certainly was, but I expected no less from him." He replied bitterly. "You know Ash, it doesn't sound like you like Red very much. And I can't say that you feel that way about many people if any at all. Are you okay?"

"Yes Max, I'm perfectly fine. Let's just focus on the matches, alright?" "Well okay then…" Ash and Max looked back at the battlefield, and Max simply shook his head. " _He's thinking something… I know it. But what's with the feuding?_

Hours went by, and so did many of the remaining matches. It was almost 5:30 in the afternoon, with a remainder of 7 matches. Iris and Max had yet to battle, however there was a noticeably empty seat next to Ash. "So it's finally time for Iris's battle." Max said.

"Certainly a match to look forward to! A battle combination like pie, where the outside is deceptive but the inside always tastes different!" "Has Iris managed to achieve her goal of Dragon Master yet, Cilan?" Dawn asked.

"She has! A brilliant team of dragon type pokemon even beyond what we saw in the preliminaries! I mean, not the readers since the author was too lazy to write Iris's battle in, but-" "What was that, Cilan?" "Er… nothing! Carry on!" Cilan avoided Dawn's gaze, so she just shrugged and turned back towards the stadium.

Iris and her opponent walked onto the battlefield, and the electronic board changed to Iris and her opponent. The referee raised the flags. "The battle between Green Trainer Iris of the Village of Dragons and Red Trainer Shauna of Saffron City is about to begin! Trainers, choose your pokémon!"

Iris grabbed a pokéball and smiled. "Let's go, Dragonite!" The orange dragon Pokémon came onto the battlefield with a roar. Shauna grabbed her own pokéball and threw it at the field. "Win this for me, Weavile!" Weavile appeared on the battlefield in a ready stance. "Let the battle between these two trainer's… begin!" The referee lowered the flags, thus starting the battle.

"Dragonite, start this off with Outrage!" Dragonite rushed at Weavile and attacked it, knocking it back and creating a small dust cloud. "Weavile, counter with Ice beam!" Weavile shot a beam of ice at Dragonite, covering it in a sheet of ice. Dragonite quickly broke out, but not without taking super-effective damage.

Dragonite continued its rampage, attacking Weavile, and this time sending it directly into the wall. It fell to the ground with swirls for eyes. "Weavile!" The referee raised the green flag. Weavile is unable to battle! Therefore this round goes to Green Trainer Iris! Red Trainer, choose your next Pokémon!

Shauna looked at Iris with fury. Shauna grabbed Weavile's pokéball and turned towards Weavile. "Return!" Weavile was put back in its pokéball as Shauna grabbed another and threw it.

"Let's do this, Dewgong!" The white seal Pokémon appeared on the battlefield to be Dragonite's next opponent. "Let the round begin!" This time Shauna was the first to attack. "Dewgong, use Aurora Beam!" A rainbow colored beam was fired at Dragonite hitting it square in the stomach. Dragonite flew backwards and fell to the ground with swirls for eyes.

"Dragonite!" The referee raised the red flag. "Dragonite is unable to battle! Therefore the winner of this round is Red Trainer Shauna! Green Trainer, choose your next Pokémon!" Iris recalled Dragonite and threw her second pokéball. "Win this round, Garchomp!"

Garchomp came out and loudly yelled. "Let the round begin!" "Garchomp, use Dragon Rush!" Garchomp's aura changed to a more menacing type, and it ran at Dewgong and attacked it. Dewgong flinched and was unable to move. "Now Garchomp, use Crunch!"

Garchomp bit Dewgong and Dewgong cried out in pain. "While it's close to you, use Ice Beam, Dewgong!" Dewgong shot a beam of ice at Garchomp from point-blank range, knocking it back and causing Garchomp to stumble.

"Now's your chance, Dewgong! Finish with Sheer Cold while it can't move much!" Absolute zero cold was shot at Garchomp, instantly causing it to freeze and fall to the ground with swirls for eyes. "No!" The referee raised the red flag. "Garchomp is unable to battle! Therefore the winner of this round is Red Trainer Shauna! Green Trainer, choose your last Pokémon!"

Iris recalled Garchomp and looked at its pokéball. "You did well. Dewgong shouldn't last long, now." Iris put Garchomp's ball away and grabbed another. "You are my only hope. Go, Haxorus!" The giant green Dragon Pokémon and Iris's best friend appeared on the battlefield. "Let the round begin!"

"Haxorus, use Giga Impact!" Haxorus rushed at Dewgong with all its power. The attack connected and sent Dewgong flying into the wall. It fell to the floor with swirls for eyes. Shauna simply looked at Iris in dismay. The referee raised the green flag. "Dewgong is unable to battle! Therefore the winner of this round is Green Trainer Iris! Red trainer, choose your last Pokémon!"

Shauna recalled Dewgong and threw her last pokéball onto the battlefield. Out of the ball came a yellow Pokémon holding two spoons. "Win it all, Alakazam!" "Let the final round begin!"

"Alakazam, use Future Sight!" Alakazam's eyes glowed aura blue for a few seconds before reverting to normal. Haxorus was unable to attack because of the Giga Impact. "Now Alakazam, use Focus Punch!" Alakazam focused its aura and punched Haxorus, knocking it to the ground.

"Can you get up, Haxorus?" It slowly got up and nodded. "Then use Guillotine!" But the attack didn't come through, because Haxorus was then attacked by the Future Sight. "Haxorus!" Haxorus slowly got up in pain.

"There's not much time left… Haxorus, end this with Guillotine!" Haxorus rushed forward and used its big pincers to tear apart Alakazam. Alakazam then fell to the ground with swirls for eyes. "No!"

The referee raised the green flag. "Alakazam is unable to battle! Therefore the winner of the round and the match is Green Trainer Iris!" The final red bar depleted from the electronic board, and the crowd roared in applause. Both trainer's recalled their Pokémon and walked to the center. They shook hands, exchanged congratulations and left the battlefield.

"What a great match!" Max said. "It was certainly an intense one at the end." Ash replied. "But do you know who's next to battle?" "Yeah…Let me think. So if I remember correctly…" Max looked at his watch, and his eyes bulged. "Son of a- I gotta go! I'm up next! See you, guys!" Everybody watched as Max ran out of the audience and into the trainer's waiting room.

Max's battle had been an intense one. He had wiped out two of his opponent's Pokémon in no time flat, but his opponent's third Pokémon easily took out Max's first two Pokémon. The final round was a long, drawn-out round with neither Pokémon willing to give up (Max's Swampert versus a Venusaur), but in the end Max was the one able to hold out longer.

The matches for the next round of the tournament wouldn't be displayed on the electronic board until tomorrow morning, so everyone, including Ash (after not sleeping for two to three days at this point) went up to the room to fall asleep and rest for tomorrow's round. Ash contemplated his own battle with Trip and the difficulties that he had.

He was ready for whatever fate had in store for the next few rounds, but assuming that he and Red made it to the finals, Red would be an intimidating and difficult opponent. There's no telling exactly what Red's capable of when he goes all out, but Ash was about to find out.

And as Ash lay in his bed to fall asleep that night, the dream with Sir Aaron, Lucario, Arceus, Red and the city once again took hold of his mind. Assuming it had not been a dream, but rather a vision, he didn't know when exactly this "prophecy" would occur.

Days?

Months?

A year?

Ten years?

He didn't know.

All Ash knew was that he was at the center of it all.

 **SO! That was finally the fourth chapter! Bad or good? Tell me! Oh yeah, I have a few notes for you guys to read. First note- *IMPORTANT INFO FOLLOWS!*-**

 **Here's the rest:**

 **Note "2"- I expect to have probably one more update before school starts back up, and from there I hope to update on a weekly basis. When in a week, I do not know. I'll figure it all out.**

 **Note "3"- I'm considering a name change, to something that seems more focused on the central idea or conflict in the story. Not to mention that a similarly named (and much more popular) pokemon fanfiction already exists, titled** **The Master's Journey** **(shoutouts to Mr. ). Unless you guys really want this name to stay, expect a change in probably the next week or two.**

 **Final Note- The current stances on shipping:**

 **4 votes for Amourshipping (Serena)**

 **3 votes for Advanceshipping/ no Amourshipping because it's overused (May)**

 **2 votes for Pearlshipping (Dawn)**

 **1 vote for Mirageshipping (Please someone tell me which ship Mirage is)**

 **Negaishipping (Iris)**

 **Rayshipping (Cynthia)**

 **I'm actually really surprised that more of you (at least who have told me) want Negaishipping over Pokéshipping. Not my preference personally (Pearlshipping4lyfe), but I'm letting you guys choose.**

 **Anyway, that's just what I had to say. Tune in next time for the second round of the Indigo League Conference and Part 4 of the first Arc! See you!**


	6. Chapter 5: Indigo 4: The Second Round

A Master's Journey Chapter 5: The Indigo League Part 4: The Second Round

 **Back again! Thank you to those of you who semi-clarified what Mirageshipping is. I've seen the Ash/Sabrina ship before, but I never saw the name of it before. That being said, somebody else said it isn't Ash/Sabrina… so let's just be simple and say Ash and Sabrina (or Ash and Sara) instead of Mirageshipping. And for some other quick news, Pearlshipping and Mirageshipping are tied for third/second, and I say that because… Amourshipping and Advanceshipping are tied for first! And sorry for being M.I.A for so long. School is pretty intense, and I've been having a few problems with the computer. But I'm good now! Anyway, the next round of the tournament is now! Iris, Max, Red, Ash, and everyone else who is not Iris, Max, Red, or Ash! Without further ado, Chapter 5!**

"Ash." There was complete darkness. "Ash." A figure appeared in front of him, resembling a white horse. Ash realized after a few seconds what the figure was. It was Arceus, the God Pokémon. "Ash! Wake up!"

Ash's eyes shot open, his skin in a cold sweat. Brock was standing over him with a concerned look on his face. "Brock? What time is it?" "It's 11 AM. You've already missed a few matches. Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm perfectly fine. Have Max or Iris battled yet, Brock?" "No, they haven't. They shouldn't be your first priority right now. We're all really concerned about you, Ash. You've been very different lately."

" _I can't tell them the whole truth, as much as it pains me._ " "In any case, I made sure that everybody else went to the stadium. I stayed back to wait until you woke up. Are you feeling any better? It looks like you had a really rough night."

"Yeah, I'm feeling better now." "That's good to hear. Max will be battling at noon. You'll follow him at 12:30. You can still battle, right?" "I told you, I'm fine. I'll still win." Ash quickly got up and went to the bathroom to wash his face.

"Brock, you should head down to the stadium now. I'll be right behind you." "Sure thing, Ash." Brock took off for the main stadium while Ash got himself mentally prepared for the day.

"Now that I think about it, I didn't even bother to ask Brock who my opponent was today." Ash smiled into the mirror. "Guess I'll just see when I get there!" Ash grabbed the Pokémon he was going to use in the battle and headed off to catch up with Brock.

The referee raised the green flag. "Kingler is unable to battle! Therefore the winner of this round and this match is Zachary of Goldenrod City!" The opposing battler hung his head in shame as the victor returned his Raichu and the final red bar on the electronic screen disappeared. Soon after, they both left the stadium to welcome the next two trainers.

"Max is next, isn't he?" Ash asked. "Yeah, he is. My brother's really something, Ash. He couldn't even focus on this opponent! He's already certain he's going to win and is making plans to fight you!"

"Well, kids will be kids. Wouldn't you say so, Ash?" Iris said with her arms crossed right next to May. Ash couldn't help but grin when he remembered the "kid" title that Iris constantly gave him during their Unova adventure. "I wouldn't worry about it, May. Just focus on the match at hand. As long as his arrogance isn't filling up his head more than his intelligence, he should win."

"I hope you're right. I really would like to see a battle between you two."

Max and his opponent walked onto the battlefield to begin their match. The referee raised his flags. "The battle between Red trainer Max of Petalburg City and Green trainer Taylor of Sunyshore City is about to begin! Trainers, choose your pokemon!"

"Let's think about this logically… If he is a trainer from Sunyshore, he'll likely use an electric type because of how common they are in that area. Therefore, I should use a pokemon that is effective against electricity. Then I have my plan!" Max reached for a pokeball in his bag.

"Swampert! I choose you!"

Max threw his pokeball and Swampert appeared from a white light. Taylor started laughing uncontrollably. "What's so funny?" Max yelled angrily. "Just throw a pokeball already!" Taylor quieted down and pointed at Max with a grin on his face. "Your lack of experience is showing, kid. That Swampert of yours is part ground, right? You actually assumed that I was going to use an electric type because of my hometown!"

Max gritted his teeth.

"In fact, you made it even easier for me, kid! I prepared a grass type just for a ground type like yours, but Swampert is also a water type! Now your pokemon will be taking four times as much damage!" Taylor lowered his hand and grabbed for a pokeball. He threw the pokeball onto the battlefield. "I choose you, Torterra!"

"What do you think they were talking about, Ash?" May said from her seat. "Probably their pokemon. I can see exactly what happened, and for once it wasn't his arrogance."

"Then what was it?"

"His ignorance."

The referee raised his flags once again. "Let the battle… begin!" And as the referee lowered the flags, Taylor made the first move. "Hit Swampert with a solar beam, Torterra!" Torterra began to charge up a beam using the energy of the sun. "Swampert, block the beam with hammer arm!" Swampert began to charge up its own attack, and as Torterra fired the beam Swampert managed to deflect it.

"Good job, Swampert! Now, use Hydro Cannon!" _I'm out of other options… None of Swampert's other attacks will have any powerful effect on Torterra._ Swampert shot out a large amount of water at lightning speed, hitting Torterra and knocking it back to the wall.

"He seems to be doing pretty well. Don't you think so, Ash?" "A powerful move, for sure. The only problem is that now Swampert can't block." "Then that means…" "Yup. Torterra's clear to hit the defenseless pokemon with the most powerful grass type move."

"Shake it off, Torterra! Use a Frenzy Plant while Swampert can't defend!" Torterra created a number of large vines that surrounded Swampert and continuously hit it until Swampert fell to the ground. "Swampert! Can you stand?" Swampert slowly stood up before falling again.

"Please, Swampert! You can't be down for the count yet!" Swampert nodded its head and once again stood up. This time it didn't fall back down. "Alright! This is our swan song, Swampert! Use endeavor!"

"Endeavor? Hey kid, you're a lot more clever than I took you for! Still, even if Torterra's now as weak as Swampert, it still has enough in it to win the fight! Torterra, you can still stand, right?" Torterra nodded and stood up.

"Alright, then! End this fight with giga drain! Torterra started draining Swampert's energy until Swampert couldn't stand anymore. Swampert fell to the ground with swirls for eyes.

"Swampert!"

The referee raised the green flag. "Swampert is unable to battle! Therefore the winner of this round is Torterra! Red trainer, choose your next pokemon!" Max recalled Swampert and reached for his next pokeball. "Let's go, Camerupt!" Camerupt emerged from the white light emitted by Max's pokeball.

"Let the second round… begin!" The referee lowered the flags, initiating the next round. "That endeavor worked well for you, didn't it? Go on. Finish it already, kid! I can't defend! You certainly earned it."

"Sure thing! Camerupt, hit Torterra with a Flamethrower!" Camerupt shot a large amount of fire at Torterra. The force knocked Torterra back against the wall, and it fell to the ground with swirls for eyes.

"Torterra is unable to battle! Therefore the winner of this round is Camerupt! Green trainer, choose your next pokemon!" "Good job, kid! You passed the first test!" Taylor recalled Torterra and grabbed his next pokeball. "Now it's time for final exams!" Taylor grinned and threw the ball. "Let's do it, Staraptor!" Staraptor came out of the pokeball and flapped its wings to signal that it was ready to fight.

"Let the third round...begin!" The referee lowered the flags, starting the third round.

"Staraptor, use Aerial Ace!" Staraptor hit Camerupt at lightning speed, making it impossible for Camerupt to dodge. Camerupt slid backwards on the dirt, creating a small dust cloud. _This isn't good. Camerupt's part ground type, which will never do anything to Staraptor. I'm going to have to hit him with every fire move I have!_

"Camerupt, use Eruption!" Camerupt exploded, releasing lava and bits of molten rock onto the battlefield. Staraptor couldn't avoid the lava and was incredibly burned by it. Trapped by tephra and blinded by the smog, Staraptor was unable to fight back. Taylor covered his face with his arms so that he wouldn't breathe everything in. Max followed suit.

"Use your chance, Camerupt!" Max's voice was muffled by his arms. "Flamethrower, now!" Camerupt shot the downed Staraptor with a beam of fire, damaging it greatly. The smog started to clear up, and Taylor noticed his fallen pokemon.

"Staraptor! Can you stand? Staraptor started to get up very slowly before its energy returned to it. It was scratched up and beaten, but not down for the count just yet. "This is it, Staraptor! Hit Camerupt with Final Gambit!" "Final Gambit? That's going to-"

Before Max could finish his statement, Staraptor ran towards Camerupt at lightning speed and tackled it to the ground with every ounce of its remaining strength. Staraptor then fell to the ground with swirls for eyes. It was at this point that both trainers realized that Camerupt was also laying on the ground with swirls for eyes.

The referee raised both flags. "Both Camerupt and Staraptor are unable to battle! Therefore this round is a tie! Trainers, choose your last pokemon!" Max returned Camerupt and grabbed his final pokeball. He threw it onto the field. "Let's win this, Aggron!" Taylor then threw his own pokeball. "Electivire, dash his hopes!" Both pokemon appeared on the battlefield, ready to end the match.

"Max will definitely win." Ash whispered to himself.

"Let the final round...begin!" The referee lowered his flags. "Aggron, use Heavy Slam!" Aggron slammed Electivire to the ground, greatly damaging the electric type pokemon. _Aggron is more than twice as heavy as Electivire, so that attack did a lot more damage! I should be able to win if I can just keep this up!_

"Electivire, end Aggron quickly with Giga Impact!" Electivire rushed towards Aggron and hit it with the greatest strength that it could muster, knocking Aggron to the ground and creating a massive dust cloud. "Quickly, Aggron! While Electivire can't see you, hit him with Metal Burst!"

"Dodge it, Electivire!" Electivire attempted to avoid the attack, but because of the dust in the air, it was unable to. Aggron managed to hit Electivire with more force than Electivire's Giga Impact, immediately knocking Electivire against the wall of the stadium. "Electivire!" Electivire fell to the ground. It attempted to stand, but it fell back down to the ground. This time, it had swirls for eyes.

The referee raised the red flag. "Electivire is unable to battle! Therefore the winner of this round is Aggron and the winner of this match is Red trainer Max!" The crowd roared with applause as both trainers recalled their pokemon and walked to the center of the stadium.

"You're pretty good, kid. You certainly earned this victory." "Thanks. I'd be lying if I said that you weren't a difficult opponent." They shook hands. "I'll make sure to win the league for you!" "Do your best, kid. There's some pretty good competition here. Good luck." Max nodded his head. "See you, Taylor!" "See you later, Max." With those parting words, both trainers departed from the stadium.

"Looks like I'm up next." Ash got up and started walking towards the trainer area. "Good luck, Ash." He heard from his friends. He looked at Brock while contemplating the events earlier in the day. Brock nodded his head. _I promise I'll win._ Ash left to get ready for his next match.

 ***November 22nd: Two months earlier***

Mount Silver was incredibly cold, just as any other day. Despite this fact it seemed colder than other days because of the increased snowfall. Ash stood on the peak of the mountain with all of his pokemon, training for the day that he would leave for the Indigo Plateau.

"Red stood here once. He came here for no reason other than to toy with himself. To grovel in his own self-pity at his losses. I won't make the same mistake. Each loss, each obstacle convincing me more and more that I couldn't accomplish my goal of being a pokemon master and that I was a terrible trainer… Yet I had to go on. I had to continue for the friends that I had made and the life that I had built. I had to continue for my mother."

Ash closed his eyes. "But you, Red. You abandoned Pallet Town. You abandoned it for what? Money? Fame? I don't know if I can ever truly hope to know why you did what you did that day. Dad used to say it all the time… "Humans fear what they don't understand." I have to disagree. I will never understand Red, but I know that I hate him with all of my heart and will never fear him.

Ash clenched his fists. "You ruined my life, Red. I don't want to ruin yours. I don't want to stoop to your level. I just want to know why."

Pikachu approached Ash. He noticed that Ash was starting to tear up. "Pi Pika Pi?" When Ash noticed Pikachu, he immediately wiped away his tears. "I'm fine, Pikachu. I'm going to go check on everyone else."

Ash left to go to where his other pokemon were training. He had all of his pokemon sparring, testing to see how far they had come since they had all arrived to Mount Silver.

"They're doing very well. At this rate, I should be able to win the league! I will become a pokemon master!" Ash looked down at his torn clothes. "I think I've been overdoing my own training. I still have too much to learn about aura. Then again, my progress isn't that important right now." Ash looked back at his strong team of pokemon and grinned.

"Red, I don't know if you're going to be at the Indigo Plateau Conference, but either way I will find you and defeat you!"

 ***Indigo League 2nd Round: Ash's match***

Ash entered the arena along with his opponent and walked to his side of the field. The referee raised the flags. "The battle between Red trainer Brendan of Littleroot Town and Green trainer Ash of Pallet Town is about to begin! Trainers, choose your pokemon!"

"Brendan… Why does that name sound familiar? That white cap… That green bag, red and black shirt, and those shorts…" Ash grinned. "Nurse Joy did say that former champions were competing, but I didn't realize that I would have the honor of facing one myself."

Brendan grabbed his first pokeball and threw it. "Salamence, end this quickly!" The large blue dragon pokemon appeared from Brendan's pokeball. "Salamence, then? I guess I should break him out." Ash grabbed his own pokeball and threw it. "Goodra, I choose you!" Ash's dragon type pokemon came out of the ball.

"Let the match...begin!" The referee lowered the flags, signaling the two opposing trainers to fight. "Goodra, start this off with an Ice Beam!" Goodra fired a beam of ice at Salamence, freezing it and knocking it over. "Salamence!" Salamence was completely frozen, but the ice soon thawed to reveal that Salamence had swirls for eyes.

"That was really quick!" Max said in excitement. "And against Brendan, no less! Ash really is a great trainer! I can't wait to fight him!" "Yeah, he's really something." Brock replied. _Didn't take long for him to recover from last night. Whatever actually happened, anyway._ "Er, Brock? Is something wrong?" Dawn looked at Brock with concern in her eyes.

"It's nothing. I'm not too sure about what happened myself. Ash will know more than I do."

"How did he defeat Salamence so quickly?" The referee raised the green flag. "Salamence is unable to battle! Therefore the winner of this round is Goodra! Red trainer, choose your next pokemon!"

Brendan returned Salamence to its pokeball and threw his next ball. "Gardevoir, take him down!" Gardevoir appeared on the battlefield. "Let the second round...begin!" The referee lowered the flags.

"Gardevoir, use Moonblast!" Gardevoir collected the energy of the moon and used it to fire a mighty beam of energy at Goodra. The beam hit Goodra dead on, knocking Goodra back a few feet. "Goodra, are you alright?" Goodra nodded back at Ash. "Then hit Gardevoir with Giga Impact!"

Goodra ran towards Gardevoir and hit it with every ounce of his strength, knocking Gardevoir to the ground. Gardevoir had swirls for eyes. "Again? I didn't realize anyone here besides Red was this good!" Ash's eyes widened before he closed them and gritted his teeth. "So that's how it's going to be?"

The referee raised the green flag. "Gardevoir is unable to battle! Therefore the winner of this round is Goodra! Red trainer, choose your last pokemon!" "With pleasure!" Brendan recalled Gardevoir and sent out his last ball. "Sceptile, let's finish this!" Brendan's final pokémon came out of its ball.

"Let the third round...begin!" The referee lowered the flags once again. "Don't hold back, Sceptile! Frenzy Plant!" Sceptile sent a number of roots and vines towards Goodra. "Goodra, freeze the vines!" Goodra fired an ice beam at the Frenzy Plant, freezing the vines in place. "Now, Goodra! Hyper Beam!" Brendan recoiled in horror at the inevitability of his loss.

Goodra charged up the beam and ran closer to Sceptile. "Dodge!" Sceptile ran, but Goodra turned to Sceptile's new direction and fired the Hyper Beam. Sceptile was hit by the attack and knocked against the arena wall. Sceptile fell to the ground with swirls for eyes.

The referee raised the green flag. "Sceptile is unable to battle! Therefore the winner of this round is Goodra and the winner of this match is Green trainer Ash!" The crowd became very loud after the referee finished speaking. Brendan recalled Sceptile with a look of disappointment on his face. Ash returned Goodra to his pokéball as well. "Pi ka pi!" "Yeah. We won again, old buddy."

Ash and Brendan walked to the center of the arena and shook hands. "You're a great trainer, Ash! I never expected to be beat so easily! You certainly have what it takes to be the next Champion. I think you could even beat Red!"

Ash nodded.

"Your words are appreciated. You aren't bad yourself, Brendan. I know that you didn't knock any of my pokemon out, but I could tell that you had spirit and compassion for your pokemon. I promise you, I will defeat everyone else I battle in this league and become Champion, including Red."

Brendan grinned. "I hope so. See you later, Ash." "See you, Brendan."

Ash returned to the stands to watch the coming battles with his friends. At one point in the day, Red walked out onto the battlefield with no opponent visible. A man ran out from the other trainer area, but instead of going to the trainer's box, he went straight to the referee.

The referee cleared his throat so that everyone could hear him. "Attention everyone! It seems as though our next challenger will be forfeiting the match to Red Trainer Red!" There were many moans and groans of disappointment from the audience. "I'm sorry, but it appears that she believed that he would be too strong, and so she doesn't feel the need to battle!"

Red just smiled. "Seems about right."

 _Figures._ Ash thought to himself. _After Red's record, especially within the past few days with his sweeping victories, it makes sense. Doesn't matter though. The greater his ego, the more fun it will be to crush it into the ground. ...Geez, now I'm starting to sound like him. I think I just threw up a little in my mouth._

Another hour passed after Red's "match" before it was Iris's turn to battle. Iris defeated her opponent with relative ease, losing one pokemon to the other trainer. Her Dragonite and Haxorus were able to plow through the other team, but she lost her Dragonite to the Lapras that the other trainer had. A few more matches followed hers before the events of the day finally came to a close. Ash and his friends exited the stadium and made their way back to the hotel where they were staying.

"It was quite the day, wasn't it?" Ash was hanging back with Brock as he watched madness ensue in the hotel room. With 9 other people trying to do different things in the same room at the same time, chaos was an expected consequence.

"May, did you use my blow dryer!?"

"I didn't touch your blow dryer, Dawn! Ask Serena, she was in the bathroom last!"

"Why are you accusing me!? What about Iris? I was in the bathroom but I didn't shower! She did!"

"Nice try, Serena! Iris doesn't use a blow dryer!"

"That's right! Also, I showered this morning, and it hasn't been missing that long! Misty showered right after we got back!"

"I didn't steal anyone's stuff! It was there after I left!"

"Girls, please!" Clemont stepped in to try and stop the argument. "We will find the blow dryer! It's not that big of a deal!" All of the girls gave Clemont a deathly stare. He backed into a corner, whimpering. "Stay out of it, Clemont! This is a very big deal! That thing cost me 100,000 pokedollars, you know!"

Cilan butted in when Dawn made that remark. "In Clemont's defense, Dawn, bringing an item that expensive to an event where many people gather including possible thieves is just a recipe for disaster."

The girls gave Cilan death stares as well. Cilan recoiled in horror. "Alright, alright! I can see that this is important to all of you!" "Geez… You guys are both cowards. Stand up to women for a change! Don't be afraid to tell them when they're being stupid." Max said as he pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"Max, I would quiet down if I were you! I don't think they can be reasoned with right now!" Cilan whispered next to him. "This argument is pointless! Shouldn't you guys be doing something more productive?"

"May, do I have permission to throttle him?"

"Sure! I'll join too!"

"How about all of us?"

Just as Max was about to receive the beating of his life, Clemont spoke up. "Has anyone seen Bonnie?" Everyone started looking around, unable to find Clemont's little sister, until finally Bonnie walked into the main room with a blow dryer in her hand.

"What are all of you arguing about?"

Ash crossed his arms. "I don't know, Brock. Should we stop this? I think Dawn just had an aneurysm." "I don't think so. This is kind of funny if you ask me." Brock grinned. Misty walked into the bathroom, shaking her head. "Well Brock, I think I'm just going to go-"

"Hey!" Misty cried from the bathroom. "Who used my toothbrush!?"

The girls looked extremely exasperated, until finally they turned to where Ash and Brock were standing.

The girls called out in unison.

"Ash!"

"I have to go, Brock! I'll be seeing you later tonight!" Ash ran out the door and slammed it shut.

With Ash gone, the girls called out for their second best option.

"Brock!"

Brock looked back at the door. "That son of a b-"

Ash let out a sigh of relief as he escaped the hotel room. "Girl problems, Ashley?" Ash's joy and relief immediately turned into anger. "Nice to see you too, Red." "I can hear your harem from my room. Tell them to calm down."

"You're incorrigible, Red. One minute you can't speak and the next you're insulting me left and right. They're arguing about a blow dryer. Don't worry about it."

"I bet that if they were given the option, that dryer's not the only thing they'd blow."

"Is there something you want, Red? I'm kind of busy, so if you're just here to be an obnoxious asswhole, I'll be leaving."

"Woah there, Ashley! You can't use that kind of language here!"

"I have a right to use that word to describe you."

"But it hurts my feelings." Red said sarcastically with a grin on his face.

"You have feelings? I never would've guessed."

"Ol' Ashley's gone cold!"

"If you have something to say, say it!"

"I was passing by to get somewhere when you just walked out. Although, I suppose now is as good a time as ever. Forfeit our match."

"What are you saying?"

"Was I not clear enough? You're obviously going to make it to the finals, just as I will. So when that time comes, don't even bother. I would crush you, just as I did all those years ago."

"I refuse. I will defeat you this time, in a fair fight. Then we'll see who the strongest is."

"Suit yourself. You're in for a rude awakening." Red made his way to the staircase and started walking to the lobby.

"The nerve of him! I need to get out of here myself, or else the girls will find me." Ash walked down the stairs himself, eventually ending up in the hotel lobby. "I need to call Professor Oak." _Now where's the phone… Ah, here we are._ Ash found the phone and dialed Professor Oak's number.

Professor Oak's lab soon appeared on the screen. Professor Oak was drinking tea while he talked to a woman who was sitting across from him on the couch. _What's mom doing there? She's just going to make it harder to talk to Professor Oak._

"Excuse me! Professor Oak!" Ash spoke up through the phone. Oak heard Ash and rushed to the phone. "Hello, Ash! It's been a while." Delia ran to the phone as fast as she could. "Ash? Ash, it's good to see you again!"

"Hi, mom." Ash said sheepishly. "How are you doing in the league, Ash?" "I'm doing well, mom. I passed the second round of the tournament, so I'm at least top 16. That being said, I plan to win it all this time!"

"That's great to hear, Ash!" Oak chimed in. "Always dream big!" "My boy is going to become the Champion! I'm so proud of you, Ash! You're remembering to change your underwear everyday, right?"

Ash sighed. "Yeah, mom. I'm doing everything I need to for my hygiene. Actually, there was something else I wanted to talk about. I need to talk to Professor Oak in private. Could you please leave for a couple minutes, mom?"

Delia hesitated, but she could tell from the look on Ash's face that it was serious. "Well…alright. Take care of my boy, Samuel." "Will do, Delia!" Delia left the room, leaving Ash and Oak alone on the phone.

"What is it, Ash? You look angry and upset." Ash looked around to make sure that nobody was eavesdropping. "He's here. He's competing." As Professor Oak slowly realized who Ash was referring to, his eyes widened.

"I hope you don't mean him."

"Unfortunately, I do. I wish I could've prevented it, but it's happening now, so I need to stop him."

"So then-"

"Yes. My brother is competing. Red is competing."

 ***Hall of Origin***

"He's making very good progress on his own, milord."

"In the ways of pokemon training or in the ways of Aura? You know that perfection in both fields will be crucial to his success."

"His progress in pokemon training is very substantial. His Aura training was minimal. His skills are at best mediocre as it stands."

"You are the greatest Aura user to ever grace the Earth, Sir Aaron. You very well know, as well as I, that this boy has the potential to surpass you. If he is to succeed in his quest, he must."

"Lord Arceus, if I may, I understand this boy's potential, but why do you put so much faith in a child?"

"He is the only hope that I have. None have his potential that still remain alive to this day. The issue is unleashing his full potential. Sir Aaron, as his ancestor and superior Aura Guardian, I am asking you to train him. Ash Ketchum, was it?"

"Yes. However, were there not two, milord? There is a boy in Sinnoh, who doesn't possess Ash's potential but has shown significant abilities. I believe Riley was his name."

"We need every human and pokemon able to fight to fight. This looming doom threatens everything in existence. If you can find this Riley and train him as well, we will be all the more prepared for this fight."

"As you wish, Lord Arceus. What of my Lucario? Should he train with Ash?"

"Your Lucario is the most strong-willed one I have ever met. I believe that that would work best."

"It will be done, Lord."

"I would also like you to find another pokemon to train with them. This pokemon's psychic abilities are unmatched, so he is near necessary to complete their training. I will warn you, however. He is a dangerous one, created by humans."

"I see. You speak of Mewtwo, then?" Arceus nodded his head. "I don't believe that to be a very smart idea, but I'll trust your judgement over mine."

"You have about 4 days to find Mewtwo and Riley and bring them here before you must go find Ash. Ash is currently in a tournament, testing his strength. There will be a limited time frame between when he is finished and when tragedy will befall him. I can't stress how important this is, so for this one occasion I will give you a physical body."

"Thank you, Lord Arceus. I promise I will not fail you."

"Go with many blessings. I await hearing of your success. Farewell, Sir Aaron."

"Farewell, Lord Arceus."

Aaron left the Hall of Origins to locate his targets and bring them back to the hall. Failure was not an option.

 ***Present Day***

"Giovanni, sir! I have the latest report on Project Zenith!" Giovanni glared at the grunt in frustration. "Well? Out with it! We've all been waiting!" 7 men sat at a table awaiting the grunt's news.

"Leader Maxie and Leader Archie's teams were able to obtain the red, blue, and jade orbs! Leader Cyrus's team was able to recreate two red chains so that we can capture Dialga and Palkia, as well as the Adamant, Lustrous, and Griseous orbs! Leader Ghetsis's team has located Reshiram and Zekrom! Leader Lysandre's team has prepared the ultimate weapon and readied the fossilized forms of Xerneas and Yveltal! As for our team, Giovanni sir, we are gathering an army of the strongest pokemon we can find as we speak!"

Giovanni smiled.

"Good, good! Everything's going according to plan! Somebody give this grunt a raise, please!" Another grunt ran in, panting. "Excuse me, Giovanni sir! I have grave news! It seems that an entire Rocket base was just destroyed near Mount Silver! All that was left by the attacker was a message reading "I still have Pikachu"!"

Giovanni was enraged. He banged his fists on the table as hard as he could. "That boy still lives? And he dares to defy our operations!? Someone kill this grunt!" "No, please!"

Despite his protests, the grunt was taken away to be executed.

Everyone at the table realized who the boy with the Pikachu was that Giovanni referred to, and they immediately became just as angry. "It's alright, men!" Giovanni called out. "I know how we can defeat this pest once and for all! His friends are sitting in cells at this very base as we speak! Shall we take a look?"

All seven men stood up from their chairs and walked with Giovanni to the base's jail cells. A number of people waited in a single cell with solemn looks on their face. "How now, young people! Shouldn't you all have more energy than this?"

Everyone in the cell glared at Giovanni angrily. "He will come." One of them said. "Are you absolutely sure about that? See, men? We'll be fine. I'm willing to trade. Him for his friends. If he doesn't accept, we have other means of dealing with him."

Giovanni presented a boy in red to the other six men. "This is our finest warrior. If he can't defeat the boy, nobody can! Isn't that right, Red?"

"Say the word, Giovanni sir. Ash will be dead by dawn."

 ***5 Years Earlier: Indigo Plateau Conference***

"So these are our next opponents?" Max said as he looked at the electronic board in the hotel lobby. Ash and Iris were right next to him.

"Tomorrow will be quite interesting." Ash muttered under his breath.

"I hope Paul's ready for me."

 _Red better be ready for me, too._

 **So that was, FINALLY, the fifth chapter! You guys can tell me what you thought of it. I hope to be getting the Sixth chapter out within the next week or two. In that time, all of you are still welcome to propose shipping. I may put out a poll if the story gets popular enough. That being said, I'll give you guys some time to tell me if you want me to write in Iris's or even Max or Red's battles. If you guys don't want to see the battles, I won't write them in. With that, I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I hope it at least partially made up for my eleven month absence. I wish you guys a good rest of the day, and farewell!**


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